At the same time.
Thirty miles north of Manhan Pass lies Wujin!
This is the fortress where Dingxiang enters Yunzhong and crosses the Manhan Mountain Valley.
There were two thousand Xiongnu soldiers stationed there.
It was called a city, but it was actually a fortress built entirely of wood cut from the Manhan Mountains.
Although Huchuquan had concentrated his entire army near Yunzhong City and stationed troops in three cities on the south bank of the Huanggan River—Chengle, Yuanyang, and Jiling—forming a mutually supportive defensive line.
As for Wu Jin, who was the first to face Liu Wei's army, he also left behind two thousand soldiers.
However, it only served as an outpost, monitoring the movements of Dingxiang on the other side of Manhan Mountain.
Lacking expertise in city defense, they had no hope that Wujin could halt Liu Wei's army's advance.
If there is any disturbance on the other side of the mountain, they will seize the opportunity to retreat.
Moreover, when Xue Rengui's cavalry was patrolling this area before, the Xiongnu cavalry in Wujin City also tried to go out of the city to fight.
From scout chases involving small groups of soldiers to small-scale skirmishes involving hundreds of people.
The once-mighty Xiongnu cavalry, who were invincible on horseback, realized the true extent of their difference after encountering Xue Rengui's cavalry.
Without exception, they left behind a pile of corpses and returned to Wujin City, too afraid to come out.
Fortunately, Xue Rengui returned to Shanwu to discuss matters, and then the entire cavalry battalion withdrew.
For ten days or so, the weather was calm.
This finally allowed the thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen guarding Wujin City to breathe a sigh of relief.
But before he could enjoy his peace for long, a messenger arrived to deliver military orders from Yunzhong.
He hurriedly summoned his centurion commanders and addressed them:
"Listen up, everyone!"
"We just received orders from the King in Yunzhong City, instructing us to closely monitor all the river valleys leading to Dingxiang!"
"The Han Chinese over there in Shanwu are about to make a big move."
"If we discover that Han Chinese troops are attacking, we cannot retreat immediately; we must hold out for at least two hours!"
The centurions were immediately puzzled and asked, "Why is that? We are not good at defending cities."
"Can we hold out for two hours?"
"Yes, if the Han people surround us, let alone defend us, we don't even know if we can escape!"
"Quiet!"
The commander of the thousand cavalry spoke up to stop them, saying, "His Majesty must have his reasons for making this arrangement!"
"If we hold out, each soldier will be rewarded with a fat sheep, and each officer will receive five women."
What!
Can they be divided into five women?
The twenty centurions immediately became excited, each letting out a wolf-like howl.
They were incredibly strong and loved farming and sowing; five women weren't a lot!
It's just that it wasn't easy to obtain before, but now it's so legitimate and easy.
"What's two hours? For a woman, I'd stay up for a whole day and night!"
"Heh heh, we swear to carry out the King's command, even at the cost of our lives!"
"What's there to be afraid of when the Han people besiege the city? At worst, we can just open the city gates and rush out when the time comes."
"That's right, I don't believe they can catch up with us on this grassland in the clouds."
The centurions discussed amongst themselves, all saying that two hours would be no problem at all.
Some people even felt it was an insult to them.
Seeing the crowd's excitement, the commander of the thousand cavalry shouted that the army's morale was high.
Only he knew that his two thousand men were actually bait to lure the Han army into besieging the city.
The 20,000 cavalrymen led by the chieftain Huyan Qimai had already marched to the banks of the Baiqu River, twenty miles away, and were ready to set off.
Once the Han army was exhausted from attacking the city, they launched a full-scale offensive.
Why wait for two hours and lie in ambush twenty miles away?
Because Wujin is surrounded by endless grasslands, it is difficult to hide troops.
The head of the household, Huyan Qimai, called this plan perfect!
He wanted to win this battle to prove that the Xiongnu's defeat at Shanwu was due to the terrain and the flood.
It also serves as a warning to those despicable Xianbei people.
On this grassland, they are the true masters.
The Huns could win even without their help!
If they win, the chieftain Huyanqimai will report his achievements to Huchuquan and promote this 1,000-cavalry commander to Grand Commandant, directly leading 10,000 cavalry!
This is simply soaring to new heights!
Just as the commander of a thousand cavalrymen guarding Wujin was indulging in the thought of becoming a commander of ten thousand cavalrymen, possessing ten thousand cavalrymen and tens of thousands of followers, and having countless women at his disposal.
Flocks of birds fluttered up and took flight over the Manhan Mountain to the south.
The terrified cries seemed to be startled by some enormous creature.
Suddenly, the Xiongnu horses in Wujin City began to neigh and spurt, creating chaos.
What happened?
Could it be the Han army?
The commander of the thousand cavalry was filled with apprehension and hurriedly led a group of officers to the city wall to check.
Upon reaching the city wall, they saw dozens of riders fleeing in panic from the distant Manhan Mountains.
These were scouts placed by the Thousand Cavalry of Chang'an in the Manhan Mountains for reconnaissance and early warning.
But they hadn't run far when they were all shot by arrows and died on their horses. They were carried around by the ownerless horses and eventually fell off.
"The Han army is here! The Han army is here!"
Dozens of scouts died just like that; what's coming must be a large Han Chinese army from Shanwu's side.
The commander of a thousand cavalrymen raised his arm and shouted, "Everyone, grab your bows and arrows and go up to the city walls to defend!"
"Quickly, light the signal fires to warn the rear!"
While Wujin was sending out beacon fires to Chengle and Yuanyang in the rear, he was also sending a signal to Huyanqimai by the Baiqu River!
Two hours!
Although he spoke very encouragingly to his centurion, the wooden stockade in Wujin still seemed a bit precarious!
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