"A thousand cattle and sheep, and ten beautiful women!"
When Anjiu's three thousand Cheshi cavalrymen heard about such a huge reward, they all went crazy and exploded.
These three thousand men were the elite of the Cheshi Kingdom, and one thousand of them, the cavalry, were actually Xiongnu people.
To ensure the success of his southward expedition to Loulan, Anjiu sought military assistance from Yuchujian Chanyu, the Northern Xiongnu leader who was his patron.
During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Northern Xiongnu mainly lived in the Jinwei Mountain (Altai Mountains) area.
After being successively attacked by generals such as Dou Gu, Geng Gong, and Ban Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was no longer able to establish itself.
Around 160 AD, a portion of the Northern Xiongnu began migrating westward again, arriving in the Kangju Kingdom in the Syr Darya River basin.
The remaining approximately 150,000 people were conquered by the Tuoba Xianbei and became part of them, nomadic along the Xiongnu River south of Yanran Mountain.
However, the Northern Xiongnu never forgot their former glory in the Western Regions. Their control over the Cheshi Kingdom is enough to show their undying ambition.
When Chanyu Yu Chujian heard that King Anjiu of Cheshi Kingdom was asking for troops, he immediately sent a junior king with a thousand cavalry to accompany him.
He did this to send Cheshi Kingdom ahead as a scout and test the waters.
If the Han Dynasty fails to come to Loulan's aid, then Chanyu Chujian will seize the opportunity to mobilize a large army to retake the Western Regions.
The hundred Han cavalrymen who charged into the ranks of the Cheshi cavalry were none other than Liu Wei, the Prince of Yunzhong, a prince of the Han Dynasty.
Beside him were Shen Lian, commander of the intelligence department, and Princess Sharde of Loulan.
Liu Wei, dressed in golden chainmail and wielding a horizontal sword, looked imposing.
Ever since he led two thousand Xuanjia cavalry to kill Helian Bobo, the number one warrior of the Southern Xiongnu, with a single stroke on the northern foothills of Manhan Mountain.
Later, in the Wuyuan camp, he single-handedly killed more than ten assassins mixed in with Cai Yong and Chen Ji's delegation.
Liu Wei no longer had any scruples or fears about killing.
Having cultivated the secret manual given to him by Yao Guangxiao for so long, he had undergone a complete transformation, no longer the prince who was powerless to even kill a chicken.
With his current skills, although he cannot fight for hundreds of rounds with unparalleled warriors like Lü Bu and Xue Rengui, he can hold his own against Di Qing, Yao Guangxiao, and others.
Even at this point, Liu Wei was confident he could defeat Zhang Liao.
As a prince with so many soldiers under his command, Liu Wei wouldn't need to personally go into battle.
This time, however, he wanted to make his civil and military achievements known to everyone in the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions.
Now is the time to show it!
Moreover, the hundred guards around him were the best of the best selected from the Xuanjia Cavalry and the Cavalry Camp, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that each of them was as brave as a thousand men.
Furthermore, Liu Wei equipped them with weapons and equipment such as horizontal swords, bright armor, crossbows, and hand axes.
It is not surprising that a hundred riders can be worth a thousand or ten thousand men.
Liu Wei led them into battle as if they were running through a dungeon.
As the cavalry of the Cheshi Kingdom surrounded them with strange cries, Liu Wei's expression turned cold.
He brandished his sword and shouted:
"Charge! Charge to the north gate of Loulan City!"
One hundred iron cavalrymen, brandishing their swords, rampaged through the Cheshi Kingdom's cavalry like a ferocious dragon.
Those who touch it will be injured, those who come into contact with it will die.
One after another, the cavalrymen of the Cheshi Kingdom were cleanly cut off, weapons and all, limbs flying and blood spurting.
The Cheshi cavalry were terrified; they had no chance of receiving Anjiu's reward.
The sight of their companions falling to their deaths in horrific ways filled them with terror.
Anjiu realized he was in trouble; his three thousand cavalrymen were no match for the enemy's hundred cavalrymen and were cut down in an instant.
"We'll have to trouble you to come!" Anjiu hurriedly asked the junior king of the Northern Xiongnu for help.
This Xiongnu minor king, who was equivalent to a captain in the Han army, also heard about Anjiu's bounty.
He glanced at the hundred Han cavalrymen and his face immediately turned fierce.
Anjiu's reward was secondary; what he saw was the excellent weaponry and equipment of the hundred Han cavalrymen.
For the Northern Xiongnu, who lacked iron tools, women were an even more deadly temptation than anything else.
If we stripped them of their equipment and armed them, coupled with the fierce fighting spirit of the Xiongnu, once we conquered the Western Regions, how many women they wanted would be entirely up to them.
"Then let King Anju see how our Xiongnu warriors fight!"
"But let's make it clear beforehand, we want your bounty, and we also want the armor and equipment these Han people are wearing."
A greedy glint appeared in Bi Xiaowang's eyes.
"No problem, please intercept them quickly and don't let them reach the north gate of Loulan City."
Anjiu also saw through the intentions of the hundred riders.
They must be covering for Princess Sharde of Loulan to enter the city.
If the soldiers and civilians in the city saw Shard arrive with Han cavalry, their morale would surely be greatly boosted.
Even with An Ran and Wei Ji acting as inside agents, it probably won't be easy to conquer Loulan.
At this time, Anjiu had already learned that the Xianbei people had breached the south gate.
Their army from Cheshi was still unable to enter through the north gate, and the Xianbei people had already taken all the advantages.
So this junior officer also shouted loudly at his thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen, meaning nothing more than that he wanted to strip them of their equipment.
The thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen were also green with envy. As soon as the junior king gave the order, they couldn't contain themselves and charged out wildly.
"Your Highness, these are Xiongnu cavalry! They should be Northern Xiongnu people from north of Jinwei Mountain!"
Shen Lian recognized the group of Huns at a glance and immediately reminded Liu Wei.
"Haha, well done! One word: kill. Don't hold back."
Upon hearing that they were Northern Xiongnu people, Liu Wei was immediately excited, his eyes shining.
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