Lu Li's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of conspiracy, and he said, "General Hua Xiong, pass down the order that you lead three thousand soldiers out from the side city. When the Xianbei cavalry retreats, lead your troops out to attack, so that they cannot defend themselves from both ends."
Hua Xiong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant. He looked at Lu Li with admiration and said, "Alright! This subordinate will go right away!"
After saying this, Hua Xiong turned around and gathered three thousand soldiers, preparing to break through the Great Wall.
For Hua Xiong, being able to defend the Great Wall was already a great achievement, but Lu Li clearly wanted to annihilate this group of Xianbei cavalry.
This man's spirit is far superior to his own; he felt inferior to him.
Soon, three thousand Han cavalrymen emerged from the Great Wall and lay in ambush.
The Great Wall was defended by less than two thousand soldiers. The reason why Lu Li dared to have two thousand men guard the Great Wall was that he was certain that the Xianbei cavalry would not choose to launch a direct attack on the Great Wall.
Because they were wearing heavy armor and didn't bring many siege weapons.
The Xianbei's goal was to draw the attention of the Liangzhou garrison and then launch a surprise attack on Jiayuguan!
Just as Lu Li had predicted, after the Xianbei cavalry attacked the Great Wall several times and found that they had suffered heavy casualties, they did not hesitate at all and turned to flee.
Upon seeing the Xianbei cavalry fleeing, Hua Xiong realized that, just as Lu Li had said, the Xianbei cavalry had indeed retreated! The next moment, he led three thousand Han soldiers out to attack.
Hua Xiong knew this was an opportunity to make a name for himself, so he dared not delay. He quickly brandished his long sword and spurred his horse forward at breakneck speed.
Three thousand Han cavalrymen cut directly into the center of the Xianbei cavalry, splitting them in two and completely severing the connection between their front and rear armies, thus preventing the Xianbei cavalry from forming a united force.
While the Xianbei cavalry were in disarray, Hua Xiong seized the opportunity, slashing down several Xianbei cavalrymen with a single blow, and then led his soldiers to quickly encircle and annihilate them.
The Xianbei cavalry were scattered by the Han cavalry and immediately became a disorganized mess, unable to organize any decent offensive.
Taking advantage of the situation, Hua Xiong launched a surprise attack, quickly routing the Xianbei cavalry and sending them fleeing in disarray.
The Xianbei people never expected to encounter such a situation, and while they fought desperately, they fled in all directions.
In this battle, 50,000 Xianbei cavalrymen were routed by 3,000 Han soldiers. Hua Xiong killed 2,000 enemies and captured 30,000, leaving only a few Xianbei cavalrymen to escape.
This thrilled Hua Xiong; it was an absolute masterpiece!
Hua Xiong collected and organized all the spoils captured by the Xianbei cavalry, and then led his soldiers back to the Great Wall.
"Mr. Xunzhen is truly a divine being!" Hua Xiong said, looking at Lu Li with heartfelt admiration.
Lu Li smiled faintly and said, "General Hua is too kind!"
"Without Mr. Xunzhen's guidance, I certainly wouldn't have dared to do this," Hua Xiong said with a shake of his head and a smile.
At first, he regarded Lu Li as a spy of the alien race. If it weren't for Lu Li, he wouldn't have been able to gain so much in this battle, let alone make such a great contribution. How could he not respect Lu Li?
...
Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo rushed to Jiayuguan, and just as Lu Li had said, there were 20,000 Qiang cavalry attacking Jiayuguan.
The defenders of Jiayuguan were about to fall, and Dong Zhuo immediately climbed onto the city wall of Jiayuguan.
Dong Zhuo's bravery made the Qiang cavalry very wary. In his youth, he had traveled among the Qiang tribes and made many friends among them.
On one occasion, when the chieftain of a Qiang tribe came to visit, Dong Zhuo generously slaughtered his own oxen to entertain him.
In ancient times, oxen were very important assets to farmers, serving as both agricultural tools and resources. Therefore, the act of "killing oxen" deeply moved the Qiang chieftain.
Therefore, the moment they saw Dong Zhuo, they stopped attacking, and the leading Qiang chief even bowed to Dong Zhuo, saying, "Greetings, General Dong!"
Dong Zhuo frowned and asked, "Why are you attacking my Jiayuguan?"
"General Dong, please calm down!"
The Qiang chieftain hurriedly explained, "I am truly sorry! General Dong, it was not our wish, but we were coerced by the Xianbei!"
"What's the meaning?"
The Qiang chieftain explained, "General Dong should know that the conflict between the Xianbei and our Qiang people has been escalating recently."
Dong Zhuo nodded; he was aware of this.
Every autumn, these foreign tribes would harass the borders of the Han Dynasty and plunder grain and provisions.
Since Dong Zhuo became the Sima of Liangzhou, these ethnic minorities have had few opportunities, making their lives difficult every winter.
"They want to annex us, and we can't confront them head-on, so we're driven by them!"
After hearing this, Dong Zhuo's expression softened considerably, but he still said sternly, "Since that's the case, I'll give you face and you can withdraw your troops."
The Qiang chieftain said bitterly, "General Dong, I'm afraid it's difficult to do! We promised the Xianbei that we would only withdraw our troops after we broke through Jiayuguan. Otherwise, the Xianbei will definitely not let our Qiang people go."
Dong Zhuo glared and shouted, "So you mean you're not giving me, Dong Zhuo, any face?"
The Qiang chieftain's expression changed, and he hurriedly said, "General Dong, we do not wish to be your enemy, we have no other choice!"
Just as Dong Zhuo was about to fly into a rage, he suddenly thought of a golden opportunity!
The Xianbei and Qiang tribes were at odds. If he were to subdue the Qiang tribes at this time, it would be an extremely good thing for Liangzhou.
Dong Zhuo's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, subtly revealing a hint of greed.
"Hahaha!" Dong Zhuo suddenly burst into laughter.
"Instead of suffering oppression from the Xianbei, why don't you surrender to my Great Han! I, the general, will certainly help your Qiang people survive this winter, what do you say?" Dong Zhuo said.
Upon hearing this, the Qiang chieftain's expression immediately became complicated. He remained silent for a long time before saying, "General Dong, although you are willing to take us Qiang people in, we Qiang people cannot submit to you!"
"oh?"
Dong Zhuo was surprised and said, "Why is that? Don't you want to break free from the control of the Xianbei?"
The Qiang chieftain shook his head and sighed, "General Dong, you are also a Han Chinese, you should understand how the Han people treat foreign ethnic groups."
The Han people and other ethnic groups had long been irreconcilable enemies, especially the Xiongnu and Xianbei. The Han people hated them to the bone and wished they could eat their flesh and gnaw their bones.
"Qiang chieftain, you're wrong to say that. Ask yourself honestly, how have I, Dong Zhuo, treated you?" Dong Zhuo questioned the Qiang chieftain with righteous indignation.
The Qiang chieftain hesitated for a moment, then said, "General Dong has indeed been kind to our Qiang people!"
Dong Zhuo nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Now that the Xianbei are going to attack my Liangzhou, you Qiang people should join my Liangzhou army in a counterattack against the Xianbei. I guarantee that the Qiang people will be able to restore their former glory!"
Upon hearing Dong Zhuo's words, the Qiang chieftain's expression shifted dramatically.
The Qiang people are sparsely populated, consisting almost entirely of the elderly, women, and children.
Under the iron hooves of the Xianbei, the Qiang people were utterly powerless to resist. Very few survived.
As a result, the Qiang people became even more hostile towards the Xianbei people, and now that Dong Zhuo had extended an olive branch, the Qiang leaders were immediately tempted.
Dong Zhuo continued to incite the Qiang chieftain: "Now the Qiang people are suffering humiliation at the hands of the Xianbei. As the chieftain of the Qiang people, you should stand up and avenge them!"
The Qiang chieftain took a deep breath and said, "General Dong, we are willing to pledge our loyalty to the Han Dynasty! We will obey General Dong's orders!"
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