The Xutuge tribes aimed to replace the fleeing Northern Xiongnu and become the overlords of these grasslands and even Bingzhou itself.

What further inflated their confidence was their victory in attacking Gongyang.

After a portion of soldiers were called away, most of those left in Gongyang were lower-level combatants.

When they intercepted the tracks of the Xutuge Huns and tried to stop them, they proved no match for the prepared Hun cavalry.

Thus, when the beacon fires were finally lit in Gongyang, the Xutuge people had already stormed into the city like iron hooves.

In the slaughter and blockade of the cavalry, there was little difference between Gongyang and defenseless children.

What further bolstered their confidence was the ambush they set up at the other end of the Gongyang Road, where they waited for a long time without seeing any Han army troops arriving, only watching the timid scouts who quickly retreated after a brief reconnaissance.

The Xutuge King realized that their true opportunity might have arrived.

Swiftly, he summoned the other members of his tribe.

Their destination for this gathering was clear: after exiting the Gongyang Road, they headed northwest—

To the City of Surrender.

In the sixth year of the Western Han Dynasty’s Yuanfeng era, after the death of Wuyi Chanyu, his son Wushilü Chanyu succeeded him.

That winter, colder than usual, saw heavy snowfall that killed many cattle and sheep within the Xiongnu.

The Left Grand Marshal of the Xiongnu intended to surrender to the Han Dynasty, prompting Emperor Wu to order Gongsun Ao to build the City of Surrender to accommodate this defection.

Over the next nearly three hundred years, due to shifts in defensive strategies, the City of Surrender changed hands several times between the Han court and the Xiongnu, but its name remained.

And now, the surrendered city is but an empty fortress.

The Xiongnu have retreated westward, while the Han Empire, weakened by internal turmoil in recent years, lacks the strength to expand its frontier and reclaim the surrendered city.

With the rise of the Xutu tribes, this city now lies within their control.

Yet the Xutu king does not favor this city.

Its history symbolizes the betrayal of their own people to the Han due to natural disasters, and the Han Empire once extended its hands onto the grasslands.

Returning with plundered grains and ‘goods’ from Guyang, the king stationed his troops outside the city, then led an assault, wreaking havoc inside.

After all this, standing on the city wall, he gazed into the distance at the autumn grasslands, feeling a surge of heroic spirit.

Gathering his tribesmen, he ordered those who could barely chase after two-legged sheep to see that one Guyang city would not satisfy his appetite!

Little did he know that as his tribesmen responded to his command, another force was also marching towards the same place.

….

Marching swiftly.

To Qiao Yan, to achieve the goal of attacking the Xiongnu royal court like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, relying on her three-dimensional map might minimize the risk of losing direction on the grasslands, though her men lacked such combat ability.

However, simply heading towards the direction of the surrendered city estimated by Zhang Liao posed no problem.

She didn’t even need to bother with opening the map system because the surrendered city and the outer Great Wall running through the Yin Mountains were connected, meaning—

The surrendered city lay at the foot of the Yin Mountains!

They only needed to follow the mountains to avoid getting lost.

What made their journey much safer was the telescope Qiao Yan carried with her.

When the Yin Mountains connect to the inland of the Central Plains, they have a noticeable slope gradient, but extending northward, the terrain on this side forms a gentle slope due to its lower elevation.

Thus, Qiao Yan could have her men observe their surroundings from afar on this mountain, ensuring no Xiongnu cavalry were present before advancing swiftly.

Of course, what concerned her was not losing a battle at this time.

Since seeing those peculiar murals in the Gufang Dao Valley, the fire within this force seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

The Xiongnu, or more precisely, these raiders from the Xutu tribes, should not have behaved like this.

This underestimation of the Han people’s defense of their compatriots and their own dignity.

With their advancing marching forces, which only grew stronger, Qiao Yan had no doubt that if a Xiongnu patrol appeared ahead, they would likely meet a devastating end.

Her concern lay in the risk of this sizable force being spotted by Xiongnu cavalry, potentially nullifying the effectiveness of their lightning strike tactics.

Fortunately, aided by lookout riders who scouted ahead, they intercepted every encounter with Xiongnu cavalry, even gaining unexpected good news from questioning a captured Xiongnu soldier who spoke the language.

There would be a special gathering beneath the surrendered city!

During their open-air camp that temporarily halted their march at night, Zhang Liao admired the telescope brought back by the scouts, showing a hint of admiration in his eyes.

“If Marquis Qiao could use this new gadget for border defense, it would be quite effective.”

“Unfortunately, until the cost of producing such items decreases, widespread use is out of the question,” Qiao Yan replied, shaking her head.

There may be other places within the Han Empire where quartz crystal mines exist, but in her understanding, only regions like Donghai Commandery and Jiaozhou in the south could potentially produce enough at current purchase prices to mass-produce such items.

“If Wenyuan likes it, Why not wait until I have a few more before giving him a unit,” she suggested.

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhang Yang, who had been sent out together, uttered a sigh of disappointment, “Marquis Qiao, can we at least observe the rule of ‘first come, first served?'”

“It’s one thing for Chu Yan to need your reward first before using it in mountain warfare, but can’t you arm your men before thinking about this youngster?”

Qiao Yan hesitated for a moment as she took the telescope back from Zhang Liao.

For a moment, she thought she wasn’t holding a telescope, but a medal of honor.

But as a qualified potential ruler, Qiao Yan quickly came up with an answer after a brief thought, “Let those soldiers settle their rewards based on their merits. Whoever takes down the head of the Xutu king during this raid on the Xutu camp under the surrendered city will own this item.”

“Will this method work?”

She glanced around and clearly saw three generals with the most potential to achieve this goal, their faces showing a desire for victory.

After all, rewards always motivate people more.

She thought for a moment and added, “But don’t forget to command your troops effectively.”

Zhao Yun, Zhang Yang, and Zhang Liao immediately responded in unison, ‘Lord Qiao, rest assured.’

Indeed, Qiao Yan had no reason to doubt these three.

Take Zhang Liao, for instance.

He had previously led scouts from among the captured Xiongnu soldiers along the route to the surrendered city, using his own methods to estimate the distance.

Before Qiao Yan could even give the order, Zhang Liao had already reported that they could slow down their march, waiting for nightfall to launch their attack.

Qiao Yan became increasingly confident that letting Zhang Liao gain experience in this role under Wumang was a better choice than directly inviting him.

As they communicated messages forward and backward, the advancing troop gradually slowed their pace.

Perhaps because everyone was holding their breath, this slowdown did not mean they were relaxing or resting; instead, it was like a bowstring being drawn taut, ready to release.

Under cover of night, the Xutu king remained oblivious to the imminent danger, thinking the Han forces were still cowering far away, unaware that an arrow was aimed directly at his head.

Surveying his assembled tribesmen, he confidently ascended a makeshift platform of earth, displaying the plundered wealth from Guyang and arranging Han captives in front, then, in the center of this platform, erected a bronze cauldron with firewood burning beneath it, just as depicted in the murals on the cliff face.

In this surreal scene, he saw clearly the looks of admiration from the elite assembled below.

His satisfaction grew.

With this display, surely they would not dare defy his intentions to invade Bingzhou and plunder the Central Plains!

As the Xutu king raised his knife, about to speak aloud, a white-feathered arrow suddenly cut through the air, striking the flagpole erected around his ‘speech area,’ breaking the silence.

The interruption was not just to his speech.

The flagpole, not as sturdy as a military standard, snapped instantly, crashing down with a resounding crack.

This was clearly a signal.

A signal of enemy attack!

Before the flagpole hit the ground, the Xutu tribesmen in this position heard shouts and cries closing in from all sides.

Amidst the tumult, a clear, piercing voice rang out from a distance.

While many did not understand Han language, they could hear the fierce intent behind these six simple words:

‘Follow me and kill the enemy!

Slay the Hu!’