Lu Zhi also delivered Wei Choutai's letter requesting help to Liu Hong.
"Order the army to set off at the same speed."
After reading the letter requesting assistance, Liu Hong simply chuckled and then ordered the troops to continue advancing.
After staying in Hejian for six days, the northern expeditionary army finally set off again.
Following Liu Hong's orders, the army headed straight for Zhuojun, then entered Guangyang, and finally went to Yuyang.
Meanwhile, after more than a month of travel, Huang Zhong led two thousand Imperial Guards to escort the envoys of Shanshan to Dunhuang.
Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo, each leading their own 5,000 wolf cavalry and 5,000 Xiliang iron cavalry, arrived here first.
Xun You, the governor of Dunhuang, also dispatched officials from Dunhuang to properly settle the soldiers and prepare the fodder and supplies needed for the army.
After arranging for the envoy from Shanshan to stay at the guesthouse, Xun You invited Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo, Huang Zhong, and several accompanying political instructors to the prefectural governor's residence.
"Prefect Xun, have you received any information about the State of Shanshan?"
As soon as everyone sat down, Huang Zhong couldn't wait to start asking about the situation in the Western Regions.
Xun You nodded slightly: "I have received news that the four kingdoms of Cheshi, Xiaowan, Jingjue and Qiemo, with a combined army of 50,000, besieged the capital of Shanshan half a month ago."
"How is the battle going?" Lu Bu asked.
Xun You smiled and said, "Fortunately, the four-nation allied forces each had their own agendas and were worried about suffering too much loss, so they did not exert their full strength, and Shanshan has not yet fallen."
"Phew, that's good."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Bu immediately stood up and said, "Zhongying, Hansheng, there is no time to lose. We must set off immediately to provide support in order to avoid any unforeseen circumstances."
“Fengxian is right.”
Dong Zhuo and Huang Zhong nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Xun You quickly advised, "Generals, the journey to Shanshan is a thousand miles long, and the weather is freezing cold. We will also have to cross the desert, making the journey difficult."
I believe it is necessary to wait some time, until the spring, before launching a military campaign.
Dong Zhuo smiled and waved his hand: "Prefect Xun, there is no need to worry. For my Xiliang cavalry, the journey of a thousand miles can be completed in ten days."
Lu Bu said in a deep voice, "My soldiers from Bingzhou have been stationed in Jiuyuan for a long time. It is even colder there. In this kind of weather, they cannot stop my Bingzhou wolf cavalry."
Huang Zhong: "The Imperial Guards are the emperor's personal troops, the elite of the Han Dynasty, and they are fearless in the face of any risks or obstacles."
"Alas, that's not what I meant."
Seeing the three men's resolute expressions and fearless demeanor, Xun You shook his head helplessly.
"What does Prefect Xun mean by that?"
Lu Bu and the other two were slightly taken aback, and looked at Xun You with puzzled expressions.
Xun You's expression turned serious, and he turned to look at one of his subordinates beside him.
"Go down and guard the gate."
"promise!"
The subordinate immediately bowed and withdrew, closing the door and standing guard outside.
Xun You looked at the three men and said with a smile, "Generals, my idea is that we might as well wait another month, until Shanshan is destroyed, and then our army can move out. At that time..."
"No..."
Before Xun You could finish speaking, Lü Bu immediately stood up and interrupted him, saying in a deep voice:
"His Majesty has ordered us to travel day and night in order to defeat the four-nation coalition as soon as possible and rescue Shanshan. If we delay at this time, wouldn't that be disobeying His Majesty?"
Dong Zhuo: "That's right. Besides, Shanshan has already submitted to our Han Dynasty. If we stand by and watch it perish, it will only damage the prestige of our Han Dynasty."
"I am ordered by His Majesty to bring those trapped brothers home, and there can be no delay."
Huang Zhong looked at Xun You with a sullen face, his eyes already showing a hint of displeasure.
"What the three generals said is all correct, but... may I finish speaking?"
Despite the words of Lü Bu and the other two, Xun You maintained a smile and calmly looked at them.
"Hmph, Prefect Xun, just speak your mind." Lü Bu snorted lightly.
Xun You looked at Lü Bu and asked, "General Lü, when His Majesty issued the order, was it in the imperial court?"
Lü Bu: "Yes."
"Was the envoy from Shanshan Kingdom present?"
"exist."
Xun You continued, "Did His Majesty's edict specify a date for the military deployment?"
Lu Bu frowned: "No."
Xun You smiled and said, "His Majesty only ordered General Lü to rush to Dunhuang overnight, but did not specify a date for the troops to set out. Does General Lü not understand His Majesty's intention?"
"this....."
Lu Bu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at Xun You: "Prefect Xun, are you saying that His Majesty intends to wait for the right time to act?"
Xun You nodded: "That's right, the time is not ripe to rescue Shanshan now."
Lü Bu then asked, "What do you mean by 'the time is ripe'?"
Xun You said, "After the fall of Shanshan, when the people are in despair..."
"Utter nonsense..."
Before Lü Bu could speak, Dong Zhuo slammed his fist on the table and stood up, angrily rebuking, "According to Governor Xun's logic, Shanshan has already fallen, so what's the point of us going to its aid? Wouldn't that make His Majesty lose face? Wouldn't our Han Dynasty lose all its prestige?"
Xun You smiled and said, "General Dong, do you think it's better to give a person a meal when they have enough to eat and wear, or when they are on the verge of starvation?"
Dong Zhuo frowned: "Of course, it's the latter."
"Then Shanshan understands this principle. Shanshan is not in a critical situation. The reason why Namu Xing asked our Han for help is because he was worried that his soldiers had suffered too many losses in defending the city and would be unable to rule Shanshan."
As he spoke, Xun You took out a copy of the latest intelligence on the Shanshan Kingdom.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
