Chapter 98

Wei Qing led the vanguard, advancing lightly equipped, while Li Guang, along with Gongsun Ao, Li You, and others, steadily moved forward, crossing the Yellow River and following the Wuting River westward to reach Wushaoling! This was no longer the time when Li You only had a hundred or so attendants on a mission to the Western Regions! It was clearly impractical to have 15,000 troops cross the high mountains! Fortunately, the grasslands on the north slope of Wushaoling were suitable for the army to pass through.

A mission of a hundred or so people might find it easier to cross the mountains than to deal with the Huns living on the north slope of Wushaoling, but in front of 15,000 troops, these tribes, numbering at most a thousand, were nothing more than scraps! Gongsun Ao led the cavalry in a few charges and swept them away, and Pan Feng didn't even get a chance to join in.

Li Guang, who had previously been known for his unpredictable style, now adopted a steady and methodical approach, systematically eliminating the small Hun tribes along the way, ensuring that the Huns had no chance to ambush him from behind! Once the camp was set up, Gongsun Ao always arranged the scouts meticulously, ensuring that the Western Expeditionary Army had no need to worry about enemy ambushes!

Li Guang was not concerned about this. The Chanyu of Xiutu and Kunye were still on their way back from the Western Regions. Since the death of Zhonghang Shuo, the Huns' understanding of the internal situation of the Han Dynasty had significantly declined, and they might have just learned about the Western Expedition! Cheng Bushi had already led his troops to defend against the Huns in the regions of Henan and Hebei! So, how could there be so many Hun soldiers in the Hexi region daring to ambush him?

However, Li Guang did not stop Gongsun Ao. After the recent sand table simulations, he had a clearer understanding of his own shortcomings and was now making a difficult change.

Crossing the Hunu River, they then fought for six days, sweeping through five small tribal kingdoms subordinate to the Huns. Li Guang slaughtered those who dared to resist and pardoned those who submitted to the Han Dynasty. Since Dong Zhongshu had not yet gained Liu Che's trust, there were no Confucian scholars to criticize Li Guang's inhumane actions.

Struck by this blow, the Huns between the Yellow River and Yanzhi Mountain were almost completely wiped out, and the news reached Chang'an! Liu Che was overjoyed and established the region reclaimed by Li Guang as Wuwei Commandery to showcase Li Guang's military prowess!

By the time all this was done and they reached Yanzhi Mountain, Wei Qing had been waiting for a long time! He had not been idle during this period, constantly sending small detachments to sweep through nearby Hun tribes and gather the latest information on the Chanyu of Xiutu and Kunye—they would arrive at Yanzhi Mountain in three days, and their forces had increased, with Zelan and Luhou leading their tribes to join the Huns' counterattack against the Han, increasing the Hun forces to over 60,000, more than three times that of the Han.

"Ha! A mere 60,000 ragtag troops dare to challenge the dignity of our Han?" Li Guang dismissed this with a wave of his hand, and no one in the tent showed any fear. Through the days of marching and fighting, the power of the new horse gear had gradually become evident. Relying on saddles and stirrups, the Han soldiers could perform various tactical maneuvers on horseback, far surpassing the Huns! In the Huns' proud horsemanship, the Huns had been far outstripped by the Han.

As for the Huns' other pride, archery, it was even less significant in front of the Han soldiers! The range of the bows used by the Huns was far inferior to the large crossbows meticulously crafted by the Han! Li Guang had personally used a large crossbow to kill an enemy leader from a hundred paces away in previous battles!

The maximum range of the large crossbow could reach 400 meters! Of course, such a crossbow could only be effectively used by a marksman like Li Guang, but even ordinary Han soldiers had a much greater range with their crossbows than the soft bows of the Huns. The Huns had to endure at least three waves of arrows before they could even get within range of their own bows. How could they fight? Often, before the third wave of arrows ended, the Huns would start fleeing in disarray!

Better horse gear, better crossbows, and elite soldiers selected from the Han's million-strong army, from Li Guang, Wei Qing, Gongsun Ao, and Li You down to the ordinary soldiers, all had great confidence in the victory of this battle!

However, Wei Qing and others did not underestimate the Huns because of this. They continuously sent scouts to gather information on the Huns and searched the area around Yanzhi Mountain to choose the most advantageous battlefield!

Three days later, the Chanyu of Xiutu, Kunye, Zelan, and Luhou finally led 60,000 Hun troops to the foot of Yanzhi Mountain! The Han and the Huns began the largest military confrontation since the Siege of Baideng! A total of 80,000 troops from both sides engaged in fierce combat at the foot of Yanzhi Mountain!

At the beginning of the battle, the Huns had to launch their attack from a disadvantageous position at the foot of the hill, while the Han soldiers took advantage of the Huns' inability to charge uphill and used their large crossbows to rain arrows down on the Huns like a storm!

The Huns' attacks were repeatedly thwarted by the rain of arrows! They tried to attack from the flanks, but Wei Qing and Gongsun Ao on the wings cleanly cut off their attacks, and the more than 10,000 Huns who had been committed to the initial assault were completely swallowed by the Han army. Frustrated, the Huns had to retreat to their camp to regroup.

But Li Guang would not give them this chance to catch their breath. As soon as the sky began to lighten the next day, he led the Han army to attack the Huns' camp! The lightning-fast attack threw the Huns into chaos, and Li Guang personally shot and killed the Chanyu of Luhou, scaring the Chanyu of Xiutu and others into fleeing.

The subsequent Han forces took advantage of the opportunity to charge into the Huns' camp, and with stirrups and high-bridged saddles, they had a significant advantage in close combat! The Hun army was decisively defeated and scattered in all directions.

On the other side, Wei Qing had been waiting for this moment! The 5,000 elite troops he led broke through the Hun camp and pursued the fleeing soldiers!

Three days later, news came from the front that the Chanyu of Xiutu had been killed at the foot of Qilian Mountain, and the Chanyu of Kunye, with no other options, had to surrender to Wei Qing with his tribe. Only the Chanyu of Zelan fled to the Western Regions with his remaining forces.

In this battle, the Han army killed over 20,000 Huns, captured the Chanyu of Kunye and numerous Hun nobles including the Chancellor and Commanders, and seized the golden statue used by the Chanyu of Xiutu for sacrifices, as well as countless cattle, sheep, and horses! From then on, the Huns completely lost their foundation for survival in the Hexi region.

The Huns who had not yet been struck by the Han quickly packed up their belongings and drove their cattle and horses further west, knowing that this fertile land would no longer belong to them!

As they moved west, they sang a sad song, "Losing our Qilian Mountain, our livestock no longer thrive; losing our Yanzhi Mountain, our brides no longer have beauty!"

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