Mythical Three Kingdoms

It was said that if the Northern Huns had been willing to surrender to the Han Dynasty, there wouldn’t have been so many issues. After all, when the Huns submitted, the Han Dynasty didn’t really mistreat them.

However, in some instances, dignity is paramount. The Northern Huns have stubbornly resisted for three hundred years, making surrender utterly impossible. The Han Dynasty also understands that if the Northern Huns wanted to surrender, they would have done so long ago; they wouldn’t have held on for so many years.

Thus, after Zhang Fei and others surrounded over three thousand Northern Hun warriors, there were no more words exchanged. Those surrounded Northern Hun warriors didn’t plead for mercy either. There was only one outcome when they met: either you die, or I perish!

This is why on this continent, the Han Emperor regarded other foreign invasions as mere trifles, yet when the Orthodox Xiongnu appeared, no matter how inept they were, they would explode immediately.

Because the other foreign clans had their backbones shattered, intrinsically admitting their own weakness, only the Northern Huns have yet to submit. Only a strong body paired with a resolute spirit and unyielding pride can be truly powerful.

Currently, on this continent, only the Han Dynasty and Northern Huns display such qualities. Other foreign clans may at most have strong bodies and, more often, are weaklings without even strong bodies.

However, in wars marked by deadliness like those between the Northern Huns and the Han Dynasty, both sides possess high morale and unyielding pride, making a breakdown practically impossible.

After Xubo Cheng led the main Northern Hun forces to break through Zhang Fei’s blockade, his chest tightened slightly. He didn’t need to turn around to know how many of his clan’s warriors had perished under the walls of Jicheng.

If it weren’t for Sheni Pei’s great fire separating the command of the Northern Huns and the Miscellaneous Hun, Xubo Cheng and the Luandi Marquis, commanding over sixty thousand Miscellaneous Hun, could have suppressed Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao with mere dispatch, given the immense troop disparity.

Unfortunately, first, they suffered a massive loss due to Sheni Pei, and Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei arrived too swiftly, giving Luandi Marquis and Xubo Cheng no time to reorganize. In the end, they could only fight disorderly with disorder.

In such circumstances, the advantage of the Miscellaneous Hun’s troop numbers under Xubo Cheng’s lead could not be displayed. In the chaos, the Miscellaneous Hun, without the unified command of a strong leader, couldn’t even defeat ten thousand Han Army with their sixty thousand. From the outset, they were suppressed by the four thousand Wolf Cavalry led by Cheng Lian and the White Horse Cavalry led by Zhao Yun.

In fact, later on, Zhao Yun’s White Horse Cavalry freed up, leaving Cheng Lian and others with four thousand to face the remaining forty-five thousand of the Miscellaneous Hun. Even under such exaggerated circumstances, Cheng Lian and others managed to suppress all of the Miscellaneous Hun.

This goes to show how pathetic the Xianbei and Wuhuan’s combat power was for the Han Dynasty at this time, without the leadership of the Northern Huns.

After breaking out, Xubo Cheng soon noticed Gao Shun behind him. Frankly, he wanted to turn back and finish off Gao Shun, but Gao Shun consistently maintained a distance of about three miles. With such a nearly ten thousand strong army, any attempt to turn around would allow Gao Shun to escape.

Although Xubo Cheng acknowledged Gao Shun’s prowess last night, admitting to the formidable Military Spirit Legion, those troops were limited in number. Facing a vast number of elite legionnaires, sheer numbers and legion assaults could be fatal.

This is why, in large-scale legion wars, the Military Spirit Legion would cooperate with other legions for spearheading and breaking formations.

Wars have never been about single elite or single troop types; they emphasize cooperation. Even strong military formations like the Trap Formation would struggle to survive the concentrated legion assaults like those led by Guan Yu, with likely only a few surviving.

However, with the assistance of other elite legions for cover and the Military Spirit Legion for spearheading and breaking formations, even armies several times larger couldn’t avoid getting slaughtered due to a collapsed formation.

Thus, Gao Shun leading his mere seven hundred soldiers, trailing behind a nearly ten thousand strong elite cavalry without a sign of collapse, is extremely dangerous.

If it had been a routed army, a seven hundred-strong Military Spirit Legion or even miscellaneous soldiers would dare to pursue them. However, in the Battle of Jicheng, though the Northern Huns were defeated, from any angle, their rout showed no signs of collapse.

”Forget it, let’s pull out of Youzhou. The Chanyu should have consolidated most of the Hu People on the Great Prairie by now. Besides, this matter requires an explanation to the Chanyu.” Xubo Cheng glanced hatefully at Gao Shun hovering in the distance, then turned to an officer to speak.

”Scouts, don’t conserve horse strength. Expand the scouting range to fifteen miles.” Xubo Cheng commanded another officer. It’s cavalry marching, and under such circumstances, expanding the scouting range to fifteen miles is a significant drain on the scouts’ horse strength, but it also highlights Xubo Cheng’s experience and caution.

”Kongming, some scouts are approaching, should we take them out?” Li Tong asked cautiously. Since he was amidst the ranks, he noticed the Northern Hun scouts had already gotten within fifty paces of their army.

To be honest, Zhuge Liang is this unit’s strategist. However, Li Tong felt awkward addressing a sixteen-year-old whose face was still smooth as a strategist. Of course, Zhuge Liang didn’t mind too much; it was only back then that Fa Zheng cared about such formalities, right?

”No, unlike you, he certainly won’t notice. You only noticed because you knew there were troops here,” Zhuge Liang spoke calmly but instinctively clenched his fists.

It was just at this moment, according to Zhuge Liang’s arrangement, a military flag appeared several miles away from the ambush, even though it was quickly lowered, the Northern Hun scouts still noticed, drawing the attention of three scout cavalry to ten miles away.

Soon, under the close attention of the three, the ambush several miles away was confirmed, while the hidden troops lying tens of steps away on either side of the road went unnoticed by the scouts. Subsequently, instead of advancing, these scouts turned their horses, preparing to return to camp.

Once all the scouts returned, Xubo Cheng visibly relaxed. His greatest worry was that the Han Army had laid ambushes along his retreat path. As long as a single scout was missing, Xubo Cheng would abandon the idea of returning quickly via Youzhou’s thoroughfare.

[Hmph, it seems the Han army trailing behind me was led by that black-faced guy’s men, and perhaps the Han army never expected me to head straight down their road.]Xubo Cheng felt slightly relieved yet felt bitter upon seeing his own soldiers trailing behind him.

”Report, Sun-chasing King, our scouts have discovered a Han army between fifteen to twenty miles ahead. Due to the distance, they couldn’t confirm their identities closely. An estimate of between three thousand to five thousand was made, mostly infantry and archers.” The hundred-leader of scouts reported the findings to Xubo Cheng.

Xubo Cheng raised an eyebrow, a trace of cruelty flashing in his eyes. Having gained no advantages last night and losing the Luandi Marquis, eliminating these ambushers would be good for reporting back to the Chanyu.