Madun also glanced at Han Xie, who was drinking by himself, at this time, and then said to the surrounding leaders: "We can't just cooperate with the Wei people.
If the Wei people are not sensible, we can also attack and capture some of their counties first to make them think carefully. Didn't we get siege equipment from the Yan people? We can use it to test it."
"Besides," Madun said with a smile, "even if we reach an agreement with the Wei people, can't we still plunder them? As long as we do it quietly, the Wei people can only suffer in silence.
Perhaps they will pretend to be deaf and dumb to prevent us from allying with the Romans! Haha!"
The other Xiongnu nobles, hearing Madun's words, became even more delighted, their eyes shining.
Most of the previous Xiongnu Chanyus only knew how to lead troops in battle, and did not know how to exploit the relationships between various forces for profit.
Seeing Madun's ability, many of them were more convinced and flattered him.
Hearing their flattery, Han Xie felt even more agitated and continued to drink the wine in front of him.
Madun looked at Han Xie and couldn't help but smile slightly. You are still far from being able to compete with me!
...
While the Xiongnu were still planning how to profit from the western frontier, the Wei people, as the masters of this land, did not idly wait for others to divide it up. Instead, they were actively preparing troops and supplies.
A dust-covered army was marching on the road. The autumn wind had begun to blow across the land. Although there was no coolness of autumn, the autumn wind signaled the departure of summer's heat.
The land was also full of vitality. Many places had been planted with seeds around spring, and by this time, it was time for harvest. Farmers were diligently harvesting grain.
As for the army, the Wei people were accustomed to seeing them, and did not have much fear of the soldiers. In fact, the arrogant minor officials in the counties were more troublesome to them.
Of course, when the army passed by, the common people still tried their best to avoid them, lest they suffer misfortune and have no one to turn to for redress.
The wheels of the carriage swayed as they passed over the ground, sometimes bumping along on not-so-good roads.
The army's advance speed was not very fast, and the soldiers didn't feel anything special; they actually felt it was quite good.
However, the generals of the Wei army were not in a very good mood.
They had been delayed on the road for too long. The soldiers of the Shuofang Army had not traveled most of these roads before. Fortunately, the soldiers of the Shuofang Army were elites and could endure it, but it ultimately slowed down their journey.
The Shuofang Army hurried and finally reached the temporary camp set up by local officials before sunset.
That night, Wu Jinqin looked at the map in the big tent and sighed.
Sima Cuo asked, "Are you still worried about the army's journey?"
"Somewhat," Wu Jinqin did not hide it. Sima Cuo was also a general of the Shuofang Army and had always been Wu Jinqin's deputy. Wu Jinqin naturally would not hide anything from Sima Cuo.
"The army's marching speed is not fast, but there is still a long way to go. I don't know how many days it will take to reach the western frontier."
Sima Cuo comforted him, "Ningxia Commandery is not too far away. We encountered some special circumstances before, and it should be much smoother from now on."
Speaking of this, Sima Cuo was also troubled.
Generally, when an army goes on an expedition, it should contact local officials in advance, with the Prime Minister's office coordinating and the Ministry of War arranging supplies for the army.
However, this time, the time was too tight, and the local preparations were insufficient.
Moreover, it happened to be the busy farming season. It was not easy to mobilize enough manpower to transport grain and build camps for the army. This was also why the Shuofang Army had not reached Ningxia Commandery sooner.
Sima Cuo said, "The combat effectiveness of the Western Army is not weak. Even if they are defeated, they should be able to hold their current position."
Wu Jinqin frowned, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. Precisely because the Western Army is strong, if the generals and officials of Ningxia Commandery want to redeem themselves, instead of thinking about firmly defending the city, they lead their troops to rashly attack, what then?
By the time we arrive at Ningxia Commandery, if Ningxia Commandery has already fallen, what should we do then?
Are we going to attack the city?"
Hearing Wu Jinqin's words, Sima Cuo thought about it, and it was indeed true. It was precisely because the Western Army was very strong that if someone incited a battle with the Romans, it would be troublesome.
Sima Cuo said dryly, "It shouldn't be, right? If they attack rashly and fail, won't their crimes be even heavier? No one would do that, would they?"
Wu Jinqin looked at Sima Cuo and said, "If they dare not, then so be it. I'm afraid that someone will be reckless like you, and act without thinking."
"Clarify what you mean. Who acts without thinking?" Sima Cuo said angrily. "The Prince says I'm refined despite my roughness, and a brave general!"
"Heh."
"Don't make that face. I'm not someone who acts without thinking," Sima Cuo said.
"Yes, you're right," Wu Jinqin said perfunctorily. "It's probably dangerous to go further west now. You should take more men to patrol the camp to prevent anyone from ambushing the army."
Sima Cuo did not argue with Wu Jinqin further and responded.
Sima Cuo thought for a moment and said, "I heard that there are quite a few horse bandits in the northwest, and their combat effectiveness is considerable. If we could recruit them, it would be a good force."
"Not good!"
Wu Jinqin shook his head and said, "These horse bandits are used to freedom and have no military discipline. If we recruit them, wouldn't it tarnish the reputation of the Shuofang Army?
Besides, those horse bandits are people who value profit over righteousness. They might stab us in the back later. Such people are unreliable."
Sima Cuo thought that what Wu Jinqin said made sense and nodded regretfully. "It's a pity. I saw a wave of horse bandits today. These people's horsemanship is really good, even slightly better than our cavalry.
It's a pity that these people are indeed unusable."
Wu Jinqin said to Sima Cuo, "You should ponder less about these things and focus more on important matters."
Sima Cuo wanted to retort, but in the end, he couldn't say anything coherent and just muttered a few words softly.
Wu Jinqin didn't pay much attention.
Wu Jinqin looked at Ningxia Commandery on the map and sighed. This battle would not be easy.