The Garrison Captain, seeing this, couldn't help but shout anxiously!
"Quickly, tell me, what exactly happened?"
The soldier, hearing this shout, came back to his senses, his body trembling, and hurriedly said!
"General... General, things are bad; three thousand Xianbei cavalry are marching south overnight."
"They quickly cleared out some outposts outside the pass. I was somewhat lucky to be patrolling outside and, after realizing the commotion, knew the Xianbei were invading, so I immediately fled here."
The Garrison Captain's brows furrowed upon hearing this, not expecting the Xianbei to invade.
Without further thought, he immediately prepared to send someone to inform Guan Yu.
Who would have thought that Guan Yu had already arrived at the city wall, surrounded by dozens of personal guards.
The surrounding soldiers immediately bowed and said loudly!
"We respectfully greet the General."
Guan Yu heard this, waved his hand, and his voice slowly emerged!
"Are you saying that three thousand Xianbei cavalry are heading this way?"
The messenger soldier, seeing Guan Yu, managed to suppress his panic slightly and nodded repeatedly.
After receiving confirmation, Guan Yu's phoenix eyes gazed towards the grassland outside the pass, narrowing slightly, revealing a cold glint.
The Garrison Captain, standing beside him, spoke in a low voice with a respectful expression!
"General, this Xianbei army should be from a large tribe nearby. Their southward march this time is likely an attempt to plunder."
"After all, winter has just passed, and it's no longer so cold. Their tribes' grain, after a winter of consumption, is probably running low."
"So they want to take advantage of the fact that the common people have accumulated grain at home, plunder it, and stock up for next winter."
At this point, this young Tuncun paused slightly, and his voice continued!
"However, this subordinate still has a question: with only three thousand cavalry, it will probably be very difficult to break through our Yanmen defense line."
"According to past customs, this army in front of us is either a vanguard unit, or there are other troops entering the Han territory elsewhere to coordinate."
At this point, this young Tuncun's brows were furrowed with worry.
Every year these Hu invade, the entire Bing Province border region suffers greatly, and many common people die in these wars.
Guan Yu's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
This young Tuncun in front of him thought exactly as he did.
Three thousand cavalry would find it difficult to break through Yanmen Pass; there were most likely other troops.
Looking at the young Tuncun beside him, he felt a bit more approval in his heart. Clearly, he had dealt with the Xianbei for many years and could understand their movements.
Moreover, this person's face was unfamiliar; he had not seen him many times. He must be one of the Tuncuns left behind when he took over Yanmen Pass.
A desire to cherish talent arose in his heart, so he asked!
"May I know your name?"
The young Tuncun's face lit up with excitement upon hearing this.
Being asked his name surely meant he was valued, and if he performed well, he might even be promoted in the future.
He clasped his hands, bowed, and said loudly!
"This subordinate is Zhang Liao, courtesy name Wen Yuan, a native of Yanmen Commandery, serving as a patrolling Tuncun."
Guan Yu felt that this name sounded somewhat familiar, but he didn't think much of it.
He stroked his long beard and said with a smile!
"Good."
"General has remembered you. If you perform well, you will surely be heavily promoted."
Zhang Liao's handsome face broke into a smile upon hearing this, appearing even more resolute. He bowed and said loudly!
"I will certainly perform well and live up to the General's high expectations."
Guan Yu nodded slightly and ordered loudly!
"Immediately send someone to inform the Prefect's Mansion that the Xianbei army is invading, and it might be a vanguard unit, or there may be other troops encroaching on the border."
Upon receiving the order, Zhang Liao immediately bowed in compliance, and quickly instructed the messenger to ride at full speed towards the Prefect's Mansion.
A moment later, from the vast, flat grassland ahead, came the thunderous sound of hooves, with dust rolling and thick smoke rising everywhere.
Several thousand cavalry were moving in formation, galloping towards this location.
Guan Yu's eyes showed a hint of solemnity at this sight.
He immediately ordered the entire army to be on high alert, patrolling the city walls to prevent these Xianbei from attacking the city.
After the Xianbei cavalry showed off their might outside the pass, they set up camp a dozen li away.
Soon, a simple camp was erected. Inside the main camp, a main General's flag fluttered in the wind, with the large characters 'Tuoba Tribe' written on it.
Inside the main tent, a burly man with a resolute face, long hair, and wrapped in a sheepskin robe, sat at the head seat.
This person was Tuoba Jiefen, the leader of the Tuoba Tribe.
The other Generals sat on both sides, conversing in twos and threes, many with expressions of resentment.
Tuoba Jiefen, seeing this, frowned slightly, picked up a cup of sheep's milk wine, drank it in one gulp, and threw the cup directly to the ground, making a clanging sound.
The Generals in the tent, hearing this sound, instantly stopped their grumbling and all looked at the leader at the head seat.
Tuoba Jiefen, with a displeased expression, looked at the Generals in the tent and said coldly!
"These Xianbei nobles are too overbearing. Every time they make my Tuoba Tribe lead the charge, we gain no benefits and even suffer many casualties."
"Especially this time, they even made my tribe block Yanmen Pass to prevent the Han Army from leaving the pass and harassing their rear."
"While they are wantonly invading, plundering wealth, grain, and slaves, I can only wait empty-handed."
"This truly infuriates me!"
The Generals in the tent, hearing this, all showed angry expressions, some even clenching their fists and revealing fierce glints.
One of the large men, wrapped in sheepskin, stood out and said coldly!
"Leader, these nobles from the royal court are too despicable."
"We don't need to risk our lives for them. Why not withdraw from this pass and follow them into Han territory to plunder?"
Many Generals, hearing this, also stood up and echoed!
"Exactly, exactly! If we stay here, we'll gain nothing. Last winter already consumed a lot of our savings. If we don't store some this year, when winter comes, many people in our tribe will die!"
Tuoba Jiefen, hearing the complaints from the Generals, sighed slightly, and a somewhat sorrowful voice came!
"I know what you all are saying, but this is an order from the royal court leader, telling us to block Yanmen Pass to prevent the Han Army from sending troops and intercepting their rear."
"If I disobey, leading to the Han Army leaving the pass and harassing their rear, after this battle ends, the royal court leader will absolutely not let me off and will certainly heavily suppress the Tuoba Tribe."
The Generals, hearing this, suppressed their angry voices somewhat.
These Xianbei tribes indeed had to obey the orders of the royal court.
Any disobedience would basically lead to suppression and death, or being annihilated, or being annexed, with no way to survive at all.
