Countless arrows rained down relentlessly from both sides of the mountain.
The 18,000-strong Xiongnu army was cut in half.
Xu Buxian looked at Hu Chuquan with deep resentment, complaining that his laughter was really ill-timed.
Hu Chuquan glared angrily at Xu Buxian, blaming him for his bad luck.
Amidst the mutual blaming, the Xiongnu army was thrown into chaos.
They had no idea how many people were on the mountain.
The warhorses panicked and ran wildly, trampling countless of their own men.
The cavalrymen, huddled together, were shot even more mercilessly.
As arrows rained down, large rocks continued to roll down.
In an instant, screams filled the valley.
"Protect the King! Charge westward!"
Seeing the bewildered and clueless Huchuquan, Xubuxian had no choice but to shout loudly.
This time, he seemed to regret supporting Huchuquan's ascension to the position of Chanyu.
This Huchuquan is dull-witted and far inferior to his younger brother Yufuluo.
Or perhaps his uncle Qu Bei, although he secretly colluded with the Xianbei people, was still considered to have some brains.
And this Huchuquan is like a hopeless case.
Under the protection of dozens of guards, Hu Chuquan lay prostrate on his horse, covering his head, and desperately charged forward.
The ambush point on the mountain happened to be located in the center of the army, where Huchuquan and Xubuxian, along with three thousand soldiers, were positioned.
After all, when it comes to ambushes, the best strategy is to cut them in half, leaving them unable to defend both ends.
The group of people, including the outer guards, were hit by rocks that bounced down from the mountain, spurting blood and falling heavily off their horses.
After losing several guards, they finally managed to protect Huchuquan and Xubuxian as they left the dangerous area and arrived behind the eight thousand vanguard troops who had been cut down.
The five thousand men stood there bewildered and helpless, and the several cavalry commanders, seeing that the army had been ambushed in the middle, were also at a loss.
"What are you all standing around for? Cover the King's escape from this valley."
Xu Buxian was so angry that he was no longer recognizable as a human.
Hu Chuquan was incredibly stupid, and his soldiers were all just as clueless.
The several commanders of a thousand cavalry came to their senses and immediately ordered their troops to advance westward.
As for the seven thousand men who were bringing up the rear, there was nothing they could do; their fate was in their hands.
Eight thousand people protected Hu Chuquan and his group. They hadn't gone more than two or three miles in the valley when they abruptly stopped in an open area.
It turned out that about three thousand cavalrymen dressed in black armor were blocking the way in neat formation ahead.
Directly in front of them was a young general in white robes wielding a halberd!
He rode a magnificent snow dragon steed.
This man was none other than Xue Rengui, the top general under Marquis of Yinshan, Liu Wei!
hiss!
They were Han Chinese cavalry!
Hu Chuquan and Xu Buxian exchanged a glance.
Unexpectedly, their words came true. The Han people not only "flew" over their heads, but also waited for their arrival here.
It turned out that the troops that ambushed and intercepted the Xiongnu army were Xue Rengui's cavalry battalion.
That is, fifteen days ago, they traveled from Shanwu along the Qingshui River Valley and crossed the Yellow River at Tongdu.
After passing through Wudu, we headed west along the south bank of the Yellow River, traversing the Gobi Desert of the Ordos Plateau.
The sandstorm they experienced also wiped out the Jie people!
They then captured Helang, a key location in Wuyuan County on the south bank of the Yellow River.
Upon receiving the strategist's temporary military order, Xue Rengui immediately gathered sheepskin rafts to cross the Yellow River and captured Linwo, a key town south of Jiuyuan City, the seat of Wuyuan Prefecture.
Xue Rengui pressed on without stopping, dividing his troops into two groups. One group of two thousand cavalrymen marched west to attack Yiliang, Chengyi, and Xi'anyang.
Because the chief commander, Huyanmaiqi, took away 20,000 troops, there were not many troops left in the entire Wuyuan County.
Only four or five hundred people were left in each city.
In addition, the Xiongnu soldiers were accustomed to living in tents and were stationed on the grasslands outside the city.
In the city, puppet Han Chinese were appointed to govern the town, collect taxes, and serve the Xiongnu.
These Han Chinese can also be called the earliest traitors to the Han people.
The traitors worked tirelessly to oppress the people in the city for the Xiongnu, currying favor with them while enriching themselves and committing all sorts of evil deeds.
When Xue Rengui's troops swept through, the Xiongnu outside the city were powerless to resist and were all killed.
Seeing the situation was dire, the traitors in the city also became the first to surrender.
Seeing the imposing and powerful cavalry of Xue Rengui, they immediately opened the gates and surrendered.
The three cities of Yiliang, Chengyi, and Xi'anyang were all captured without losing a single soldier.
Considering the heavy responsibility of containing the enemy, Xue Rengui did not punish these traitors.
He left Cavalry Commandant Zhou Qing with a thousand men to guard the westernmost point of Xi'an Yang, to monitor every move in Shuofang.
The remaining thousand men rushed back to Jiuyuan (near present-day Baotou City).
Meanwhile, another force of two thousand men launched a surprise attack and captured Jiuyuan City.
They then mobilized Han Chinese people from Linwo and Jiuyuan to participate in the ambush at Manyi Valley.
Upon hearing that they were going to fight the Xiongnu, the Han people of the two cities eagerly went, and five thousand able-bodied men were gathered in one day.
Xue Rengui ordered the armories in both cities to be opened, and the people were given bows, arrows, spears, and dry rations. They then laid an ambush on the mountains on both sides of Manyi Valley.
Five thousand militiamen only need to shoot arrows and throw stones from the mountain; there is no need to go down the mountain to fight.
After all, these civilians were far less capable of fighting than the Xiongnu soldiers.
Before they could wait two days in Manyi Valley, the Xiongnu troops who had fled from Yunzhong arrived.
Thus, the ambush took place.
"They outnumber us, don't be afraid, charge through them and we'll be safe!"
Xu Bu first loudly encouraged the soldiers.
The enemy had only three thousand cavalry, while they had eight thousand men.
Charge!
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