Chapter 137 The Huns enter the game

Author: Gongsun Wujiu

Chapter 137 The Huns enter the game

When Zhang Yue arrived with the main force of his army, Zhang Zhan had already taken control of Wuji City.

“Well done!”

Standing at the ruins of Wuji City, Zhang Yue praised Zhang Zhan with satisfaction.

Zhang Zhan grinned and said, "It's all the kings who have taught me well!"

Zhang Yue laughed and cursed upon hearing this, "You know how to flatter me!"

Zhang Zhan chuckled and said, "I don't know how to flatter someone...".

The two were chatting and laughing, and then Mahan also came over.

Zhang Yue saw Ma Han and asked, "What are the casualties among the soldiers?"

Ma Han said, "Twenty-seven soldiers died in the battle, but 317 soldiers died on the road, and 256 suffered frostbite..."

Zhang Yue sighed, "Let the dead soldiers be buried properly!"

Zhang Zhan no longer had the excitement he had just now.

He asked, "Why don't you send someone to send the fallen soldiers back to Han Dynasty?"

Zhang Yue looked around and said, "From now on, this is the land of Han, and this city is the city of Han..."

Ma Han heard the words and agreed, "What the princes said is true. As the sun and moon shine, wherever the Han soldiers arrive, it is Han territory!"

Zhang Yue pointed to the west, "From now on, the land in the west will also be the land of Han... Are you willing to help me?"

Zhang Zhan and Ma Han said, "I am willing to serve the king..."

…

When the Han army occupied Wuji City, King Dayuan was still a hundred miles away with his three thousand reinforcements.

"Hurry up... the warriors will have hot soup to drink when they arrive at Wuji..."

The King of Dayuan is doing his best to boost morale.

It's a pity that his words didn't have much effect.

The soldiers, who lacked the means to withstand the cold, had reached the limit of their endurance.

Just then a scout came from the west.

"What, the Han army has already captured Wuji City!"

Upon hearing the news sent by Tan Ma, King Dayuan felt that all the strength in his body was suddenly drained.

He felt that his spirit had become trance-like, and he didn't know what to do for a moment.

"Your Highness, what should we do now?"

The generals on the left and right asked in succession.

"Return to Shule immediately!"

After King Dawan reluctantly gave the order, he fell off his horse.

"Your Highness... Your Highness..."

The people around him hurriedly helped King Dayuan into a carriage.

After the deputy general took over the command, he continued to execute the orders he had given before he fell into coma.

"Turn the whole army!"

After hearing the order, the soldiers complained.

However, under the pressure of the officers, the soldiers reluctantly began to return to the army.

…

Zhang Yue in Wuji City also faced a choice at this time.

One was the Kangju Allied Forces who returned to attack Shule, while the other ignored Shule's troops and marched directly westward to Dawan.

Whether to advance eastward to attack Shule or to advance westward to Dawan, Zhang Yue couldn't make up his mind for a while.

The strength of the Dawan Kingdom is actually not weak, according to the information provided by the Sogdians.

Dawan has more than 70 cities and a population of nearly one million.

Bowang Hou and Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division, also said that the Dawan Kingdom's standing army alone was no less than 60,000.

Not only that, there is a natural barrier between Dawan and the Western Region Governor, which is the Pamir Plateau.

If the Han army wanted to attack Guishan City, the royal city of Dayuan, they had to cross the two fortresses of Ershi City and Yucheng to reach their destination.

Zhang Yue couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he simply called Ma Han and Zhang Zhan to discuss it together.

After listening to Zhang Yue's explanation, Ma Han said, "Do you think you can defeat Dayuan with my troops?"

Zhang Yue shook his head and said, "No, whether a 10,000-strong army marching westward can defeat Guishan City is a matter of uncertainty!"

Ma Han said again, "The art of war is to use the right combination to win by surprise... What do you have to worry about at this time!"

Zhang Yue said, "Someone is greedy!"

Zhang Zhan also said at this time, "Wouldn't it be better to wait until the Shulekangju coalition forces are destroyed before thinking about the future..."

Zhang Yue said: "Good!"

The army rested in Wuji City for two days. On the third day, Zhang Yue left two thousand soldiers and horses with Mahan to guard Wuji, and then led the army to march eastward along the Shule River.

…

When Zhang Yue led his troops to advance eastward, the news that the Han army had occupied Wuji City had already spread back to Shule.

King Kangju and others were greatly shocked, and King Yancai even exclaimed, "The Han army is a heavenly force. It can reach Wuji in three days..."

When the news spread, the morale of the Kangju Allied Forces fluctuated.

King Kangju had no choice but to consult with Stohel again.

"General Stocher, the Han army has occupied Wuji City, what should we do?"

Although Stocher is known as the number one general in Kangju, he actually only had fighting experience with Yancai, Yanguo and small tribes of Sai people.

Faced with the current situation, he couldn't think of a good solution for a while.

He had no choice but to say reluctantly, "Wuji is the retreat route for the army and must be recaptured!"

King Kangju heard this and looked outside the house, "I'm afraid it will be unbearable for the warriors to send troops in such weather!"

Stohel frowned and said, "Why don't you stick to Shule and wait for changes?"

Kang Juwang said, "General, you mean the Huns?"

Stocher said, "Not bad!"

King Kangju sighed and said, "That's the only way!"

…

The original purpose of the Han army in occupying Wuji City was to force the Kangju people to leave the city for rescue, and then defeat the Kangju coalition forces in one fell swoop in a field battle.

The Kang-Ju coalition forces now dared not send out large-scale troops due to the weather, so Zhang Yue had no choice but to change his strategy.

On November 22nd of the second year of AD, Zhang Yue surrounded King Dayuan in an unnamed river valley a hundred miles west of Shule City.

King Dayuan sent envoys to King Kangju several times to ask for help.

In order to lure the Kangju coalition forces out of the city, the Han army did not intercept the messenger.

It was a pity that King Kangju had already made up his mind to defend King Shule at this time.

King Kangju turned a blind eye to the messengers from King Dayuan asking for help.

Some Dawan generals in the city tried to send troops privately to rescue their king, but they were all killed by King Kang Ju.

The rest of the Dawan nobles dared not speak out in anger.

King Amancai and King Yan asked King Kangju to send troops to rescue King Dayuan, but King Kangju refused.

The two kings remained silent even after their persuasion failed.

The King of Dayuan was besieged for five days and his supplies were almost exhausted, but no reinforcements arrived.

He knew in his heart that he had been given up by King Kang Ju.

In desperation, the King of Dayuan had no choice but to personally lead the capable soldiers to launch a surprise attack on the Han army.

Unfortunately, the Han army was well prepared for this. King Dayuan broke through three times and was easily defeated by the Han army.

The coalition suffered heavy casualties, and all Dawan soldiers in the coalition wanted to surrender.

"Your Highness, now that we have no way to go to heaven and no way to enter the earth, why not simply surrender..."
To be continued...