Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Chapter 1092 Setting Off for the Expedition: Arrangements for All Parties!

"I am in the capital, awaiting your triumphant return, General!" Gao Yao personally helped Wei Qing up and handed him the commander's seal.

With the sound of drums and horns, the army set off. The 150,000 troops were divided into three routes: Wei Qing led the central army of 50,000, taking the main land route; Lü Bu led the vanguard of 30,000, advancing swiftly and lightly; and Huo Qubing led 20,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry, landing on the flank by sea. The three routes advanced simultaneously, supporting each other.

After seeing off the Eastern Expeditionary Army, Gao Yao did not return to the palace, but went straight to the drill ground south of the city. There, the Southern Expeditionary Army was also secretly assembling.

Unlike the high-profile eastward expedition, the southward expedition assembled quietly. The 200,000-strong army broke into smaller units and moved in batches towards the Wei border under the guise of "troop rotation" and "exercises." Cao Can was a seasoned strategist, prioritizing secrecy over speed.

On the reviewing stand at the drill ground, Ying Bu and Xue Rengui stood solemnly awaiting orders.

“The Southern Expedition is different from the Eastern Expedition,” Gao Yao said bluntly. “The Eastern Expedition was a real war, while the Southern Expedition is a deterrent. Your mission is to deploy troops on the border, exert pressure, and force Wei Bao to make a mistake.”

"What if Wei Bao launches an attack?" Ran Min asked.

"Then we'll strike head-on, but not too deeply," Gao Yao instructed. "Our goal is to contain, not annihilate. We need to make Wei Bao feel that we might attack at any moment, but also keep him guessing about our true intentions."

Cao Shen realized: "Does the King want us to hold back and let Wei Bao cause internal strife under pressure?"

“Exactly,” Gao Yao praised. “Wei Bao is suspicious by nature. Under pressure, he will definitely purge his own ranks and reorganize the defenses. And this is our opportunity—the more ruthless his reorganization, the deeper the internal conflicts; the wider his purge, the more disloyal and dissenting people there will be.”

"When the time is right, we'll strike with lightning speed?" A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Ran Min's eyes.

Gao Yao shook his head: "No, when the time is right, perhaps a swift and decisive strike is not necessary. Economic control, internal disintegration, and the support or opposition of the people... these softer tactics are sometimes more effective than hard arrows and crossbows."

He paused, then added, "Of course, a soft knife needs the support of a hard knife. Your 200,000 troops are the hardest knife. Only when Wei Bao knows that the knife is above his head will he behave and obey."

"Understood, sir!" Ying Bu and Xue Rengui replied in unison.

The southern expeditionary force set off that night and disappeared into the darkness. Gao Yao stood on the city wall, watching the two armies depart, feeling both pride and solemnity.

The clarion call for the war of unification has finally sounded, and the grand game of chess has reached its conclusion.

Gao Yao stood before the enormous sand table, his hands resting on the edge, his gaze sweeping across the undulating models representing mountains and rivers with the sharpness of a hawk. Theoretically, they had already won 70% of the battle—the Chinese army was strong and well-equipped, their internal rebellion was about to be quelled, and the rest was only a matter of time.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling of the candlelight.

The reason Gao Yao was so cautious was because of the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan's attempt to stop the methods he had previously left behind. This guy was practically a walking arsenal and technology diffuser; apart from keeping the gunpowder formula relatively well-hidden—probably afraid the Huns might accidentally blow him up—he gave away almost everything else he could.

Stirrups? Here! Saddles? Here! Horseshoes? Here! Iron smelting technology? Here! Map of Liaodong mineral distribution? All of that!

"The mysterious Yi Xiaochuan is raising the Xiongnu like his own son." Gao Yao once lamented while looking at a map, "He's practically teaching them how to build tanks."

The result was disastrous. The nomadic peoples, who originally relied on plunder and were poorly equipped, were now armed to the teeth. Small states like Tu'an were the first to suffer, captured by the Xiongnu Left Wise King in three days, so quickly that the surrounding tribes didn't even have time to write their surrender documents.

Even more deadly is that the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan seems to have also taken on the role of a "mergers and acquisitions consultant" for the Xiongnu, teaching them how to efficiently annex small tribes and integrate resources. As a result, the Xiongnu grew larger and larger like a snowball. According to the latest intelligence from the Qingyi Society, their combat-ready army has reached 400,000—all cavalry, each equipped with stirrups and saddles, and some elites even wearing simple iron armor.

"What does 400,000 cavalrymen mean? It means that each of us has to take down at least two Xiongnu cavalrymen, and we're fighting on their home turf!"

This reminded him of those troublesome emperors in later history books. The Ming Dynasty was strong enough, wasn't it? The Hongwu Cannon could even breach city walls, yet it still suffered greatly at the hands of the Oirats and Tatars. The reason was simple—no matter how powerful your cannons were, you still had to be able to keep up with their speed.

Gao Yao had the Ministry of Works produce cannons, and the cannons were indeed quite powerful, sending earth and rocks flying with each shot. But problems arose when it came to transporting them: these iron lumps weighed a thousand catties and required eight horses to pull them. Even on the plains, it was slow, and in the grasslands where there were few roads and bridges, it would be considered fast if they could travel twenty li a day.

What's most disgusting about nomadic peoples is that they fight when they can win, and run away when they can't, but before they run, they'll turn back and shoot you a few arrows. When you're exhausted and running out of supplies, they'll swarm you like a pack of wolves.

After six months of venturing deep into the grasslands, Gao Yao sent the Qingyi Society to thoroughly understand the internal situation of the Xiongnu.

The Xiongnu still nominally have an old Chanyu, but actual power has fallen into the hands of the Left and Right Wise Kings. The Left Wise King controls the area from Liaodong to Yanmen Pass, while the Right Wise King controls the area west of Yanmen Pass. The two are at odds with each other, both eyeing the Chanyu's throne.

“Originally, the conflict between these two would have been advantageous to us,” Gao Yao said with a wry smile as he reviewed the intelligence. “But the mysterious Yi Xiaochuan played a balancing act—he gave the Left Wise King iron-smelting technology, and in return, he gave the Right Wise King a horse improvement plan; he helped the Left Wise King annex Tu’an, and in return, he helped the Right Wise King subdue the Yuezhi. As a result, their strength increased simultaneously, neither of them was willing to submit to the other, but neither of them would easily start a war.”

It's like raising two Gu worms; both worms are fed until they're plump and strong, but the jar isn't ready to be broken yet.

Four hundred thousand cavalry. Gao Yao could picture it with his eyes closed: ten thousand horses galloping, arrows flying like locusts, the Huaxia army's infantry squares passively taking hits under the overwhelming mobility. Even with musketeers, their reloading speed couldn't keep up with the pace of the cavalry charge.

He stood up and walked to the window. The city of Xianyang, bathed in the soft glow of night lights, was the capital he had built with his own hands, and he would not allow anyone to threaten it.

"The problem of the Xiongnu must be solved at its root. Not by defeating them, not by marriage alliances, not by paying tribute—but by completely eliminating their fighting force, then building cities and prefectures on the grasslands and bringing them under our rule," Gao Yao muttered.

He knew these nomadic peoples all too well. They might be constantly fighting amongst themselves, but when faced with a threat from the Central Plains, they would often temporarily set aside their differences and unite against a common enemy. After all, no one was stupid—if the Han Chinese unified their internal affairs, the next to suffer would be the Xiongnu.

"Report—" A messenger rushed in, "Urgent report from the Blue Robe Society!"

Gao Yao took the secret letter, quickly scanned it, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

"The Left and Right Wise Kings of the Xiongnu met at Yinshan three days ago." He slowly put down the letter. "Although the meeting ended unhappily, both sides agreed to 'temporarily set aside their disputes and jointly defend against foreign enemies.'"