King Guli led the remaining few hundred men to the mountainside once again.
When they saw Zhang Liao's army emerge from the dust and smoke in the distance, surging towards them, they knew their days were numbered.
Xubu's three thousand cavalrymen are probably all dead by now.
They have warhorses, but even if they run, they can't get very far.
It seems that only death can bring relief.
King Guli rushed halfway up the mountain and immediately recognized Liu Wei, who was surrounded and protected by several guards:
"I'm so glad to finally meet you!"
"You are the Han prince who killed the Qiangqu Chanyu and his son, and nearly wiped out my Southern Xiongnu!"
Liu Wei brandished his sword, stopping the guards who were about to charge forward, and then said:
"So you are the old King Guli, who is like a stray dog?"
"Are you here to surrender to me?"
"If you had surrendered with your troops in the city of Guluo, I might have spared your life."
"Now, do you think Ben would let you live?"
King Guli looked utterly miserable: "I know I can't live. You killed so many of my people. I will haunt you even as a ghost!"
"If I can't even defeat you as a human, what's the point of being a ghost?"
"I advise you to commit suicide rather than be torn to pieces."
King Guli roared, “Stop insulting me! Prepare to die!”
He immediately brandished his longsword and charged forward.
Hundreds of people behind them rushed forward as if they had gone mad.
“The only solution for these people is to kill them; there should be no mercy whatsoever,” Liu Wei said coldly.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Wang Fangyi and Shen Lian responded in deep voices and both made their moves.
At this moment, Zhang Liao arrived at the foot of the hill with two thousand cavalry.
He immediately ordered some men to seize the Xiongnu's horses, while he himself, carrying a long spear, led dozens of knights, dismounted, and launched an attack on the Xiongnu from behind.
Attacked from both above and below, King Guli and his four or five hundred remaining soldiers soon fell silent.
"My lord, we have captured Guluo City, annihilated all the fleeing Xiongnu cavalry, and wiped out a portion of King Guli's forces."
Zhang Liao approached Liu Wei, knelt on one knee, and bowed to report.
"Wen Yuan, you've worked hard!" Liu Wei helped him up.
Looking at the travel-worn Zhang Liao, Liu Wei's eyes were full of admiration.
He strictly enforced military orders and prioritized the overall situation, demonstrating the unwavering determination and courage of a commander.
If Zhang Liao disregarded the fleeing Xiongnu cavalry and came to his rescue, Liu Wei would certainly abandon the idea of promoting Zhang Liao to the rank of General of the Central Army and giving him sole command of an army.
Zhang Liao's performance just now was affirmed by Liu Wei.
"Although this old King Guli put up a stubborn resistance, his spirit of facing death without fear is worthy of respect!"
"Bury these two thousand fallen Xiongnu veterans in this small hill!"
Liu Wei still admires Gu Liwang's spirit of leaving veterans to cover the rear and giving the hope of survival to the younger generation.
Burying them here is a way of showing them respect.
As for the soldiers who herded cattle like Xubu, they did not enjoy such treatment.
Their corpses were left on the desert, waiting to be pecked at by vultures and crows, or to become a meal for wolves.
"Back to the city! Let's continue south!"
......
at the same time.
Western Regions.
Xue Rengui pursued Yuchi Gu, traveling westward along the southern route of the Silk Road, passing through the countries of Ruoqiang, Qiemo, Jingjue, Zihe, Zheqi, Yutian, Xiye, and Qianmi.
These small countries have few soldiers, ranging from a thousand to eight hundred, and are no match for Yuchi Gu.
Some surrendered, some resisted.
Those who surrendered were looted by Yuchi Gu, while those who resisted were dealt with by Xue Rengui in time.
Along the southern route of the Silk Road, there was Yuchi Gu in the front and Xue Rengui in the back. When Yuchi Gu was resisting Shule, the small countries along the southern route had basically been conquered by Xue Rengui.
When they saw that Xue Rengui was leading heavily armored cavalry, they shouted "Long live the Han Dynasty!" and vowed to be loyal to the death.
A thousand eight hundred Xuanjia cavalrymen traveled along the southern route of the Silk Road, and all the small countries submitted to them.
Xue Rengui also sent a message to Chen Ji in Loulan, urging him to quickly dispatch officials to govern the area.
On the northern route of the Silk Road, Xue Rengui's four fierce generals, Zhou Qing, led a thousand cavalry to guard Wutu Valley, while Jiang Xingba, Xue Xiantu, and Wang Xinxi led their own cavalry to pursue Yuchi Jiong's fleeing soldiers.
They drove Yuchi Jiong's six thousand remaining soldiers all the way from Shanguo, Yanqi, Kucha, Gumo, and Yutou to Shule.
The brothers Yuchi Gu and Yuchi Jiong met in Shule and wept with joy.
After counting the troops, the total number was just over ten thousand.
Back then, when we marched south from the northern desert to Juyan Lake, there were 40,000 troops, but now only half of them remain.
Fortunately, the two plundered a lot of treasure along the way, but they didn't take many people or beautiful women with them.
"Brother, what do we do now?"
The two men looked at the imposing city of Shule, wanting to attack but feeling powerless to do so.
"We have no choice but to go to the Wusun Kingdom!"
Looking at the towering, cloud-piercing Pamir Mountains to the west, Yu Chi Gu made his initial, reluctant choice.
Although to the west were the three kingdoms of Dayuan, Xiuxun, and Dayuezhi, and Dayuan was home to the Akhal-Teke horses.
However, crossing the snow-covered Pamir Mountains during this season is practically impossible.
In contrast, heading north to Wusun is much easier, because Wusun is separated from Shule by the Tianshan Mountains.
There are many canyons in the Tianshan Mountains that can be traversed.
Once we reach the Ili River Valley, we can finally catch our breath.
"Then let's set off quickly! The Han army that's following us is like a mad dog, relentlessly attacking us."
"I think I understand now. They did it on purpose, using us as tools to facilitate their rule over the Western Regions."
Yuchi Jiong gritted his teeth.
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