Chapter 83

It was noon.

The dense fog that had enveloped the land had long since dissipated, and the intense sunlight shone down, bringing a warm spring-like feeling.

Troops rushed out of the pass in a hurry, shouting noisily and passing by Lu Yao in a chaotic manner. Lu Yao looked back, his face ashen.

Two hours ago, they had followed the floodwaters of the Dragon Boat Festival to head for Tuanbai Valley, but the journey had not been smooth at all. The boats requisitioned by the Jin army were all old and useless, and halfway through, two of them fell apart, and three more started leaking. This not only delayed their arrival at Tuanbai Valley by more than half an hour, but also left them with only about four hundred men. Many of them had struggled with the damaged boats all the way, and were so exhausted that they collapsed on the shore.

Lu Yao had originally planned to use the treacherous terrain of Tuanbai Valley to ambush the Xiongnu, which was indeed a good idea. However, the soldiers were in such a low state that they could hardly fight. With the Xiongnu army approaching, the situation was urgent. He had no choice but to lead his personal troops to the pass of Tuanbai Valley first, leaving the others behind to rest.

The commander of Tuanbai Valley was named Wang Yan. He was originally the leader of the Wang family's private troops in Qixian County. After leading the Wang family's private army to join the military, he was appointed as the county's military officer, commanding several troops to maintain the peace in Qixian County. This time, the Xiongnu invaded, and he led over two hundred local troops to guard the key pass of Tuanbai Valley. These local troops were poorly trained and their combat effectiveness was highly questionable. Therefore, a few days ago, Lu Yao had assigned Captain Fei Cen to lead fifty soldiers to assist.

Tuanbai Valley originally had a rammed earth fort, but it had been abandoned for years due to war, leaving only a platform about a foot high. When Lu Yao led his troops south a few days ago, he had already ordered Wang Yan to urge the local troops to rebuild the fort as soon as possible. However, due to the tight schedule, only three wooden barriers had been set up on the slope in front of the pass, and the trenches in front of the barriers had not even been dug. The main restoration work was only halfway done, with a large amount of timber piled up at the valley entrance.

"Why is the progress so slow?" Lu Yao asked, suppressing his anger.

"General Lu, the men have been working day and night, but there are only so many of us, and the work at the pass is enormous. Besides, the enemy came too quickly," Wang Yan replied with a helpless look.

Lu Yao glared at him and turned to ask Xue Tong, "When will the rear troops arrive? Send someone to urge Shen Jin. If he delays, I'll behead him first!" At such a critical moment, the commander's anxiety was always the greatest. Although Lu Yao tried to remain calm, he sometimes couldn't help it.

"Half an hour. Dao Ming, at most half an hour, and the troops will all arrive and be ready for battle," Xue Tong said confidently.

Lu Yao could only sigh, will the Xiongnu give us half an hour?

He stomped his foot heavily, "If we can't make it in time... sigh, we'll just have to hold out as best we can."

Since the situation was like this, there was no point in complaining. It was just a matter of fighting to the death. Lu Yao immediately gathered all the officers and key soldiers present to assign tasks.

He casually broke off a dry branch and drew the terrain of Tuanbai Valley on the ground. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Wang Yan leading several people rushing past, two by two, each carrying a large black vat.

Wang Yan had two hundred troops, all of whom were poorly trained, but they were still needed in the current situation. Lu Yao was about to use them, so he also called the officers and key soldiers of his unit to join the discussion. However, this man completely ignored military discipline and did not heed the order, instead busying himself with moving those useless items!

"Officer Wang!" Lu Yao was furious, frowning and shouting, "What are these things?"

Wang Yan shuddered and hurriedly smiled, "General Lu, this is the sesame oil favored by my clan's head. It is said to have a fragrant aroma when used for cooking. This oil is pressed from white sesame seeds, and thirty acres of sesame only yield one vat, making it very precious. These vats are this year's new produce, and due to the unrest on the road, they are temporarily stored here. General Lu, please don't blame me. Since there will be a battle at Tuanbai Valley, I will have the men move these vats of sesame oil to a safe place..."

With the enemy approaching, how can you still think about sesame oil! Lu Yao was speechless.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon.

Xue Tong and dozens of his subordinates were still busy at the pass, while Wang Yan's troops and the hundreds of Lu Yao's troops who had arrived earlier at Tuanbai Valley were mixed and already in formation. Relying on the high cliffs on both sides and the wooden barriers, the five hundred infantry were divided into three teams, forming a triangular formation. Each team was a dense formation equipped with bows, spears, and short weapons, commanded by the three team leaders, Xu Mu, Yang Ruo, and Fei Cen. Lu Yao himself led his cavalry in the center to support.

Just as the formation was completed, the sound of hooves could be heard from a distance, and several Wuhuan scouts suddenly appeared at the end of the road. Upon discovering the Jin army's formation, they slowed down and moved horizontally about 150 paces away to observe the Jin army's strength. At the same time, they made strange noises and performed various slashing motions on their horses to show their bravery.

This caused a stir among the infantry facing the Wuhuan. After being sternly rebuked by the officers, they calmed down. These soldiers were private troops of the Qixian County gentry. Individually, some of them were quite brave, but in Lu Yao's eyes, they lacked necessary discipline and coordination, and could only be described as a mob.

Half an hour later, heavy footsteps could be heard from a distance, indicating the arrival of the Xiongnu main force.

Unlike the Jin army, which emphasized formation before battle, the Xiongnu infantry usually crowded together in a disorganized manner, whether attacking or defending. However, the Xiongnu that Lu Yao saw now were clearly in a clear formation. They moved in groups of 300 to 400, marching steadily. Apart from a cavalry unit on each side of the road, the rest maintained good spacing and moved forward along the road. Their formation was orderly, and from a distance, they looked like a giant snake winding through the undulating mountains, exuding a fierce aura.

The Xiongnu troops stopped about 300 paces from the Jin army, then extended to the flanks, connecting with the high ground. The thousands of soldiers formed a horizontal line, with spears and halberds like a forest, and the men like tigers, the horses like dragons, making the Jin army's small force seem insignificant.

In the center of the formation, the flag that had replaced the original champion general Qiao Xi's banner was a simple one, with no rank, only a bold "Shi" character.

The one who quickly took command after Qiao Xi's death was a Jie person named Shi Le. In just a few days, he had already consolidated the Xiongnu army that had been fragmented after Qiao Xi's death. His actions were orderly, far surpassing the initial chaotic state of the Xiongnu.

"Shi Le is so skilled in military affairs; he will surely become a great enemy in the future!" Lu Yao sighed.

In the centuries of warfare between the Han and the Xiongnu, the Han had never been at a disadvantage. Even during the chaos at the end of the Han dynasty, Emperor Wu of Wei could still drive into Liaodong and defeat the Wuhuan at White Wolf Mountain. However, since the current dynasty unified the world, it had become lax in military affairs, and the army had become weak. In any border conflict, they were often bullied by foreign tribes. The few elite forces that remained were mostly lost in the internal strife among the imperial princes. From Lu Yao's experience, there were very few high-ranking officers in the imperial army who were truly strategic and capable.

The Xiongnu, on the other hand, were naturally brave and skilled in warfare, honed by their nomadic and hunting traditions. Although their numbers were much smaller than the Han, they had far more experienced and battle-hardened warriors! Take this Jie person Shi Le, for example. It was said that he was initially just a lowly herdsman, but he rose to lead a band of outlaws across the north and south of the Yellow River. His tactical skills in the past few days, both cunning and fierce, had made all the Jin generals deeply wary.

Thinking about it, Lu Yao sighed again.

Shi Le! The fear this name instilled in Lu Yao was far greater than anyone else could imagine. In Lu Yao's previous life, even without much historical knowledge, anyone who had read the popular history book "Five Thousand Years of China" would remember this name: the founder of the Later Zhao in the Sixteen Kingdoms period; a hero who fought for twenty years and eventually conquered Yan and Zhao, swallowing Han and Wei; a man who rose from slavery to become the emperor of the Later Zhao, almost unifying the entire northern China.

Such a person, shouldn't he be the final boss to appear last? The order of appearance seems to be wrong.

Lu Yao shook his head, dispelling the strange thoughts that suddenly came to mind. He said to a nearby soldier, "Go and urge General Xue to get ready as soon as possible!"

******

Surprised to find that although the book's data is average, it has received a lot of support. Thanks to all the readers for your support. I bow and pray for your health every day. ORZ

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