Chapter 551: The Five Barbarians

CaoCao intercepted Liu Xuande, who was attempting to attack Xudu, and with a whip‑like finger scolded, "I have treated you as an honored guest; why do you betray righteousness and forget gratitude?" Xuande replied, "You claim the title of Han minister, but you are a traitor! I am a member of the imperial Han clan, bearing the emperor's secret edict to punish rebels!" He then recited the Belt Edict on horseback. CaoCao was enraged, yet his generals were exhausted, and facing Guan, Zhang and Zhao three together was truly hard to match; after a moment they were defeated and withdrew.

CaoCao's army, after a defeat, fell back thirty li to a camp. The next day Xuande sent ZhaoYun to engage; CaoCao's troops did not move for ten days. Xuande then sent ZhangFei to engage, and CaoCao's troops likewise stayed put. Suspecting something, Xuande received a report that CaoCao had cut off his supply line. Xuande hurriedly ordered ZhangFei to rescue. Soon another report came that Xiahou Dun was leading troops to cut behind and seize Runan. Xuande exclaimed in alarm, "If so, I am attacked from front and rear, with nowhere to return!" He then divided his forces again.

Not long after both fronts were lost, Xuande himself suffered a great ambush while retreating, but thanks to Zhao Zilong's repeated charges he escaped on a single horse. He gathered the defeated troops along the way, met ZhangFei and GuanYu, and together with ZhaoYun, Jian Yong and Sun Qian, mustered only about a thousand defeated soldiers and fled all the way to the Han River, while CaoCao had already withdrawn his forces back to Xudu. At this point Liu Xuande had also lost Xuzhou in one stroke, and his years of struggle were once again cleared.

Arriving at the banks of the Han River, not far from Jingzhou, he had no choice but to surrender to Liu Biao. When Bai Lang heard this, Liu Xuande had already lost Jingzhou for half a year. Bai Lang knew LiuBei to be a relentless man, and he himself was a rare, generous man of the era who always held ideals, "Xuande lost again, but at least he's not dead." Bai Lang is now promoting tuntian in Bingzhou, recruiting displaced people and allocating farmland.

That year Bingzhou did not enjoy a bountiful harvest, yet it could still supply grain for tens of thousands of troops. Bai Lang had not expanded his army; up to now he still fielded thirty thousand infantry and ten thousand elite cavalry. "Enough. South of Yanran Mountain there is no royal court, and the Eastern Xianbei dare not herd their horses westward. With forty thousand elite troops I am well supplied." Bai Lang's infantry were stationed at Jinyang, while his cavalry were in Yanmeng. He himself was in Jinyang; if any matter arose he would lead his personal guard to the two counties to gather cavalry, and within a few days could raise ten thousand cavalry for an attack.

Bai Lang's current target was the Xianbei tribe, the region that a thousand years later would become Inner Mongolia, now considered outside Youzhou. If Bai Lang repelled the Xianbei he should be able to march into Youzhou. The Yuyang Shanggu Cavalry of Youzhou was famed during Emperor Guangwu's restoration of the Han as the world's elite. Even a few years ago the reputation of General Baima Gongsun Zan still circulated among the Xianbei; his Baima's loyal followers can also be regarded as the origin of the Yuyang Shanggu Cavalry.

Bai Lang was quite interested in hunting the Hu peoples, after all he was the Ming Dynasty Crown Prince's Junior Guard, gaining fame and profit by killing the Jian Nu. He had been waging war and slaughter since the end of the Han, and the Yu Yu hanging around his neck still looked like a dead fish, "Could it be that the lord wants me to stay here for thirty years?" Bai Lang was a bit surprised. Yet it gave him a chance to clean up the Xianbei thoroughly; Bai Lang knew of the Five Barbarians Turmoil, so now he prepared to eliminate these so‑called Five Barbarians.

The Xiongnu had already been beaten to near destruction; barring any mishap that branch of the Five Barbarians Turmoil could probably be removed. Many Qiang and Di had also been killed, and it is uncertain whether they will rise again, because many of them have been forced by Bai Lang to adopt Han names and customs. It is unknown whether they will forget their original origins… At present the only powerful force left is the Xianbei; as for future Turks and the like, there is no sign yet.

Since he intended to campaign beyond the frontier, he did not need many troops; Bai Lang simply raised three thousand cavalry, each man with three horses and supplies, and headed straight east out of the frontier. Though it was a minor ice age, the route had many rivers and thus abundant water and grass. Among the three thousand cavalry were some surrendered Xiongnu and Xianbei soldiers, who, under Bai Lang's renowned reputation, behaved like Han troops. Bai Lang may be rough, but he rewards merit and is never stingy, which is enough to make the current Hu peoples obey to the death.

Bai Lang marched two thousand li in seven days and charged straight into the Xianbei chief's camp. As the White Tiger flag fluttered, the Xianbei troops ahead were already fleeing on horseback. Bai Lang led from the front, wearing fish‑scale armor and the EightFacedWhiteTigerHelmet; he wielded a long spear in his right hand and a folding iron sword in his left, and rushed in. He swung and thrust left and right, and in the blink of an eye cut down several lines of Xianbei cavalry, leaving a huge gap more than ten zhang wide on each side.

The surge of Bai Lang's White Tiger army spirit ignited the morale and frenzy of the three thousand cavalry behind him; despite exhaustion of body, mind, and horses, they shouted wildly and charged. These Han cavalry did not fire bows or crossbows, merely shouting as they raised their spears to clash. The Xianbei cavalry opposite were already in disarray; their arrows fell sparsely, missing most Han riders, and seeing the Han charge, they fled in all directions.

The Xianbei camp collapsed; Bai Lang plunged into the formation, slashing the Hu general of Tubu Gu and cutting down the great banner. What followed was relentless pursuit; all Xianbei tribes were overrun. Bai Lang chased northward for a month, penetrating more than three thousand li into Xianbei territory, winning all nineteen battles, killing over forty thousand Xianbei chiefs and below, capturing and subjugating two hundred thousand, seizing over 1.5 million heads of cattle and sheep, and fifteen thousand horses.

From then on, those beyond the frontier who heard Bai Lang's name, children dared not cry at night, and warriors dared not complain. The Xianbei tribes directly fled to Liaodong Xianbei; the Hexi Xianbei ceased to exist. When Bai Lang returned his army, passing through Shanggu and Dai County, the Yuan army dared not venture out, allowing Bai Lang to return in triumph.

At this time CaoCao was also preparing to advance again to Guandu to attack Jizhou, but the high‑ranking officer Gao Gan had established a chain of camps forming a defensive line. CaoCao fought from July to October but could not break Gao Gan's stronghold. Gao Gan, letting the fierce generals of Cao's camp repeatedly challenge, set up dozens to hundreds of small forts, just as in the old stories about Bai Lang. Using the small forts to drain CaoCao's troops and supplies, while his own supply routes were guarded by cavalry and camps, he managed to prevent CaoCao from crossing the line even a step.

"I did not expect Benchu to have such a nephew." CaoCao was also at a loss, and Xun You presented a plan: "We could say that Yuan Tan of Qingzhou and Yuan Shang of Jizhou, hearing that Yuan Shao is gravely ill and his succession not settled, these two…" At this point CaoCao showed some melancholy, but then he slapped the table a few times, "That is the plan." It was said that Yuan Shang heard the rumors, already desiring to inherit Yuan Shao's position; during Yuan Shao's illness, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, under the urging of their strategists, fought like fire and water.

Currently Yuan Shang, confident in his bravery, directly told Yuan Shao, "Father's illness has not healed; we cannot campaign far. I wish to raise troops and go meet the enemy." Shao approved, and at that time Yuan Tan also led troops forward. When Yuan Shang arrived at the front, he ordered Gao Gan to raise troops with him to fight. Though Gao Gan blocked CaoCao, he lost far more soldiers than CaoCao; if this continues, his Bingzhou troops will either be decimated or lose morale, being coerced by Yuan Shang, Gao Gan simply merged his forces with Yuan Shang's to strike, hoping to repel CaoCao.