Xie Zhiyu, who occupied Houcheshi, transformed it into the temporary royal court of the Xiongnu, making it the rear base for the Xiongnu to enter and rule the Western Regions.
After incorporating the original Cheshi army, Xie Zhiyu ordered the recruitment of 15,000 young men from within the country, expanding his army to 100,000.
At this point, Xie Zhiyu, who occupied Houcheshi, had two choices. One was to continue westward and conquer countries such as Qiemi and Shanheng, but doing so would mean encountering powerful states such as Wusun and Kucha ahead of time.
The other option is to head south, capture Gaochang, open up the passage to the south, and then annex the southern kingdoms of the Western Regions. At the same time, Gaochang can also serve as a southern barrier for the temporary royal court.
Therefore, Xie Zhiyu also chose the latter without hesitation.
Although he knew that Gaochang had made preparations, he still chose to launch a frontal assault.
Of course, Xie Zhiyu also knew that apart from his own 30,000 Xiongnu soldiers, of the 70,000 Xiongnu subordinate troops, only about 30,000 could actually fight on the battlefield.
However, Xie Zhiyu knew that he didn't have much time left to train them. Every bit of time he wasted, the more prepared the Han army would become.
The only way to quickly make the Xiongnu army combat-ready is to let them see blood on the battlefield.
Moreover, this was also a method used by Xie Zhi to deplete the young and strong men of the Western Regions.
Like the Han dynasty, Xie Zhiyu also did not want too many able-bodied men in the Western Regions, lest it affect his rule.
April 25th.
After some reorganization, Xie Zhiyu led an army of 100,000, claiming to be 300,000, and marched in a mighty force toward Gaochang.
When the news reached Gaochang, the soldiers and ordinary people in the city who were unaware of the details were terrified.
An army of 300,000 was an unimaginable number in the Western Regions.
Zhang Xiu also quickly found Lan Zhi and asked her to issue a public announcement in the name of the Queen.
The announcement stated that the Xiongnu were merely bluffing and that their actual numbers were not large. Furthermore, Lanzhi expressed her willingness to live and die with Gaochang and called on all the people and residents to strengthen the city's defenses.
After seeing the Queen's announcement, the panic in the country was calmed down, and the people responded to the Queen's call and participated in the reinforcement of the city walls.
When the rolling stones and logs ran out, the people dismantled unused houses; when the arrows ran out, they used all the iron objects in their homes to make arrowheads.
For a time, the entire Kingdom of Gaochang was busy preparing for the upcoming great battle.
At the same time, Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo and others led a coalition of 30,000 troops from the Western Regions, along with a suicide squad of 5,000 Buddhist monks, to Gaochang.
Upon seeing the arrival of reinforcements, the people of Gaochang were overjoyed, and their confidence in victory soared to unprecedented heights.
After meeting with Zhang Xiu, Yuan Shao and his group gathered together to discuss their next course of action.
"Gentlemen, after more than fifty days of preparation and construction by the garrison and the people of Gaochang, the city wall of Gaochang has now been raised to about 23 feet high, and its thickness has also been increased by 10 feet on the original basis."
Three concentric moats, each ten feet wide, were dug outside the city, and many traps were set between each concentric moat.
On the city walls, besides a large number of rolling stones and logs, there were also kerosene, molten gold, barbed wire, etc.
Zhang Xiu stood beneath a huge city defense map, explaining the defenses of Gaochang to the crowd.
"Tsk tsk tsk, General Zhang has made Gaochang so fortified in such a short time. He is truly skilled. With such city defenses, even if the Xiongnu had twice the number of troops, they would still be defeated and forced to retreat!"
After hearing the introduction, Dong Zhuo, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but marvel.
Such an impenetrable defense would cause heavy casualties not only for the Xiongnu, but even for the Han army, which was skilled in siege warfare.
"General Dong, you flatter me. This is all thanks to the brothers of the Imperial Guards. I dare not take credit for it!"
Zhang Xiu waved his hand modestly, attributing the credit to the Imperial Guards soldiers he had brought with him.
The Han army today, under Liu Hong's requirements, is all about efficiency. Building cities and fortresses are basic skills that every officer and soldier must master, and those who can enter the Imperial Guard are naturally the best among them.
After introducing the city's defenses, Zhang Xiu turned to Yuan Shao and said, "Brother Benchu, from now on, everything here will be under your command!"
"good!"
Yuan Shao did not refuse; he stood up and looked around at everyone.
"Gentlemen, Gaochang's defenses are now strong. Five thousand garrison troops are sufficient to ensure our safety. Therefore, I have decided to lead the army out of the city for a decisive battle against the Xiongnu!"
Upon hearing this, the generals in the hall simply nodded, and none of them raised any objections.
After all, their purpose in coming here was not simply to defend Gaochang.
Then, Yuan Shao got up and went behind the table at the head of the table, picked up a command arrow and looked at Dong Zhuo.
"Dong Zhuo!"
"exist!"
Dong Zhuo stood up and responded loudly.
"Zhong Ying will be the commander of the central army, with Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Xu Chu as his deputies. They will lead 20,000 troops and 5,000 daredevils to be responsible for the frontal attack!"
"Here you go!"
Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Xu Chu stood up and agreed, then followed Dong Zhuo out.
Immediately afterwards, Yuan Shao picked up a command arrow and looked at Li Jue.
"Li Jue!"
"exist!"
"General Li will be the commander of the left flank, with Guo Si, Hua Xiong, and Fan Chou as his deputies, leading five thousand men to protect the left flank!"
"Here you go!"
After receiving the command token, Li Jue, Guo Si, Hua Xiong, Fan Chou, and the others quickly retreated.
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