Chapter 146
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Being reminded of his complacency by Yuan Li and Yang Zhongfa, He Lang suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Yes, he had unconsciously started to underestimate the Xiongnu.
Quickly snapping out of it, he shook himself and raised his guard once again.
After the Xiongnu had retreated, Yuan Li and the others descended from the wall. They gathered inside the main tent to discuss how to deal with the Xiongnu’s provocations.
Yuan Li listened silently to their discussions without saying a word. Even when Yang Zhongfa turned to look at him and asked, “Lord Yuan, do you have any thoughts?” he remained quiet.
Others also turned their gaze towards Yuan Li, hoping to hear his insights. Yang Zhongfa truly believed that Yuan Li had the talent of a great general. If it were not for Yuan Li already having a mentor, he would have wanted to teach him the skills of war and combat. Though the others didn’t know Yuan Li well, they had heard about his achievements over the years and were aware of his capabilities. Their gazes were filled with expectation and encouragement.
After a moment’s pause, Yuan Li thought to himself, “Can I really offer any useful ideas?” But such self-doubt only lingered for a brief moment before Yuan Li smiled and dismissed it.
It was just an idea, why couldn’t he share it?
With the new Emperor Cultivation System in place, Yuan Li couldn’t allow himself to show any signs of timidity.
He cleared his throat, organized his thoughts for a moment, and recalled what Chu Hechao had told him before leaving about how to handle external threats.
This external threat did not specifically refer to the Xiongnu but included the Xiongnu, Wuwan, and other tribes that might launch surprise attacks on the rear.
In war, it was best to avoid fighting on two fronts. If someone attacked from behind, they might take the opportunity to attack Youzhou. Chu Hechao had advised Yuan Li on how to deal with such situations, the weaknesses and strengths of various enemies, and which troops to call upon in the worst-case scenario.
All of this formed the basis for Yuan Li’s plan.
“I do have some ideas, but whether we can use them depends on everyone’s opinions,” Yuan Li said candidly.
Mi Yang waved his hand nonchalantly and said in a rough voice, “Speak up, Governor Yuan!”
Yuan Li smiled faintly and summed up his plan in four words, “Kill first, then pursue.”
Three days later, a group of around a hundred Xiongnu cavalry once again harassed the border.
As usual, the Northern Border army pursued and drove them away, and the Xiongnu fled without any intention of engaging in battle.
But when the Xiongnu reached an ordinary-looking grassland and their warhorses suddenly stepped into a concealed pitfall trap, they tumbled forward and fell into the pit. The pit was filled with sharp spears, which impaled both the cavalry and their horses in an instant.
The cavalry in the rear immediately shouted, “It’s a pitfall trap!”
He tried hard to restrain the horse and turn around, but suddenly heard urgent drum sounds from behind. The horse was scared and dashed forward, falling into a pitfall, pierced through without resistance.
Screams echoed as Yang Zhongfa walked to the pitfall and squatted down, coldly observing the miserable condition of the Xiongnu soldiers trapped inside.
Some Xiongnu were lightly injured and tried to escape from the pitfall. Yang Zhongfa grinned and directly chopped off their hands with his sword.
The Xiongnu wailed in pain and were thrown back into the pitfall.
Looking at the horses and Xiongnu cavalry in the pitfall, Yang Zhongfa saw the desperate death of Han Jin in a pitfall in the past.
He felt both relieved and resentful, laughing heartily and murmuring to himself, “Old Han, just wait. The number of kills is not many this time, but don’t worry, we’ll have a good time killing them later…”
However, the Xiongnu did not give up their invasion just because of a pitfall. Two days later, they returned again. This time, they carefully avoided the grassland that could be turned into pitfall traps, but fell into the iron caltrops scattered by the Northern Frontier Army during their escape.
The iron caltrops had four sharp corners like four daggers, damaging the horse hooves upon stepping on them, making it a useful weapon for capturing Xiongnu alive. Almost all the Xiongnu cavalry in the group were hit.
The horses were injured, and seventy Xiongnu prisoners were captured.
But Yuan Li didn’t spare a single one, killing all of them. The grass around the camp was dyed red with blood, and the heads of the Xiongnu were piled under the city wall to deter them.
However, these were just small skirmishes, and whether it was the Xiongnu’s provocations or Yuan Li and others, they didn’t care much about these minor incidents. The Xiongnu remained undaunted and sent more and more probing cavalry. They died one by one, one batch after another, and Yuan Li took all their lives, leaving no one to go back.
The number of heads under the city wall grew, each with a grim and bloody appearance, making every Xiongnu cavalryman who saw it terrified.
In a camp on the grassland.
Sitting in the main seat, Lord Qie Qu’s expression was unpleasant, but he remained calm. “Continue to send cavalry as the vanguard.”
The people below were anxious, and someone couldn’t help but question, “Lord Qie Qu, why do we keep sending cavalry to their deaths?”
“It’s the Chanyu’s intention,” Qie Qu looked at his subordinates and said in a deep voice, “These sacrifices are necessary.”
Someone asked, “Why do we only send a few dozen or a hundred people each time to disrupt the border? These cavalry can’t compete with the Northern Frontier cavalry at all!”
Others kept quiet, all looking at Qie Qu, wanting to hear what he had to say.
If they were ordinary soldiers, Qie Qu wouldn’t need to explain to them. But if his subordinates began to doubt, not explaining would only lead to confusion.
Qie Qu spoke directly, “Do you all remember the disastrous defeat we suffered six years ago against the Northern Frontier Army?”
This defeat was a humiliation for all Xiongnu and something they could never forget. Their expressions became resentful, and they gritted their teeth, saying, “Of course we remember. Our hero, Huyan Wuzhu, died on that battlefield!”
Qie Qu said, “Then you should also remember the weapon used by Chu Hechao at that time, called the Thunderbolt Cannon.”
This time, their faces couldn’t help but show some fear. They looked at each other, and someone said, “It is said that the Thunderbolt Cannon is incredibly powerful, like something created by the heavens. It can produce thunderous roars, create dense fog to blind the enemy, and has the force to shake mountains and stones.”
They felt scared just talking about it, “Does Chanyu want to seize this weapon?”
“It’s not that Chanyu wants this weapon, but he wants to understand the power of the Thunderbolt Cannon,” Qie Qu said resolutely, “We have defeated the Central Plains cavalry many times, but we have never suffered such humiliation. If not for the Thunderbolt Cannon, Chu Hechao’s cavalry wouldn’t have been able to compare with us. If we want to conquer the Central Plains and avenge Lord Wuzhu, we must understand the power of the Thunderbolt Cannon. If we don’t understand its power, fear will linger in our hearts, and the soldiers who were scared by the Thunderbolt Cannon will lose their courage to attack the Northern Frontier Army. If this continues, our warriors will become just like the Central Plains people, cowards!”
The crowd pondered and felt that Qie Qu’s words made sense, but they were still puzzled and asked, “Does Chanyun sacrifice batches of cavalry because he doesn’t believe in the legendary power of the Thunderbolt Cannon, so he personally sends troops to test it?”
Qie Qu nodded slowly, the strong wind causing his eyes to squint slightly.
He recounted the words that Huyan Huntu had said to him to his subordinates, “Indeed, Chanyun doesn’t believe in the immense power of the Thunderbolt Cannon. If the Thunderbolt Cannon were truly that powerful, why didn’t Chu Hechao and Yuan Li use it when attacking Li Li? Why didn’t Chu Hechao use it when he captured Bingzhou? There were many people from Northern Zhou in the Xiongnu court, and they told Chanyu that they had never seen such a powerful weapon in the Central Plains.”
He snorted coldly, a cold smile appearing on his face. “Chanyu never personally witnessed the power of the Thunderbolt Cannon, but he found soldiers who had seen it before and questioned them several times. He discovered that during that battle, the soldiers panicked as soon as they heard the deafening sound, and the horses were scared and ran everywhere. They never really saw how powerful the Thunderbolt Cannon was. Chanyu is right. What if the Thunderbolt Cannon is just a loud noise? Then Lord Wuzhu might have died due to the tricks of those Central Plains people! We have been hiding in the depths of the grassland, only inviting ridicule from the Central Plains people. So, we must force them to use the Thunderbolt Cannon again. If they don’t use it repeatedly, it only means that the Thunderbolt Cannon is completely useless.”
I see!
The subordinates suddenly understood, “Then we will follow the orders of Lord Qie Qu and Chanyu.”
Within the Great Wall, Yuan Li was also asked by the other generals why they were not using the Thunderbolt Cannon.
Yuan Li smiled bitterly as he explained, “It’s not that I don’t want to use it. The truth is that the Thunderbolt Cannon is not as effective as we hope. It’s dangerous. If something goes wrong on the way, it could harm our own people. Back then, it was in the harsh winter, and the cold weather made the road silent, allowing us to travel safely. But now it’s summer, the weather is dry, and the slightest carelessness could lead to casualties among our own troops.”
After listening to his explanation, the generals didn’t insist anymore. They were well-equipped, strong, and armed with bows and crossbows and riding on horses. They weren’t afraid of the Xiongnu!
A few days later, the Xiongnu cavalry came again.
This group of Xiongnu riders were more cautious than the previous ones, hesitating and avoiding getting too close. Yuan Li stood on the Great Wall, watching these Xiongnu riders wandering back and forth. Finally, a smile appeared on his face, “It’s them.”
Mi Yang was excited and didn’t wait for others to speak. He rushed forward to capture the Xiongnu riders, saying, “Don’t fight me for this!”
As more and more of their comrades died, the Xiongnu riders’ courage dwindled.
Because they knew that going out again would likely lead to their deaths.
People fear death, and the Xiongnu, known for their wildness, were no exception.
Yuan Li was confident that the Xiongnu leaders wouldn’t waste time trying to explain to these riders, as they were destined to die.
But in the absence of knowledge, these Xiongnu riders would become more fearful and insecure, leading to wavering decisions.
And these Xiongnu could then be recruited for their cause.
Mi Yang successfully captured this group of Xiongnu riders and bound them tightly on the open ground.
When Yuan Li appeared, the Xiongnu riders looked at him with expressions of anger, despair, and fear.
After these days of confrontations, the Xiongnu riders understood Yuan Li’s methods. They knew this Central Plains man was just as cruel as Chu Hechao. At this moment, they wanted nothing more than to rush forward and tear Yuan Li apart.
The appearance of the Xiongnu people was rough and wild, just like their barbaric customs. Compared to them, Yuan Li’s tall figure seemed weak, like a slender and fragile lamb.
But Yuan Li, who was being closely watched, remained calm and looked at them all before smiling, “Have you all seen the heads under the city walls?”
The general who could speak Xiongnu translated the sentence for the Xiongnu people.
Their expressions varied, but just by looking at them, Yuan Li knew the answer.
Yuan Li continued, “Those people were your comrades, but they were too foolish and weak. Our cavalry easily chopped off their heads.”
Upon hearing this, more Xiongnu people glared at Yuan Li with anger, and some even tried to spit at him.
One of those who tried to spit was kicked down by Yuan Li’s personal guard, who warned, “Behave yourself!”
Yuan Li then turned to Yang Zhongfa and nodded.
Yang Zhongfa went forward and dragged a Xiongnu man to the front, drew his large knife, and placed it on the Xiongnu man’s head. He swung the knife eagerly and shouted, “Whoever surrenders and leads us deep into the grassland to find the Xiongnu stronghold, we will spare them!”
This statement triggered an outburst of curses from the Xiongnu people.
The Xiongnu man beneath Yang Zhongfa’s knife was no exception; he cursed the loudest. Having exchanged countless curses with Yang Zhongfa before, he understood the profanities very well. Yang Zhongfa sneered coldly, “What loyalty are you pretending to have? Haven’t the Xiongnu people surrendered before? Betraying the Chanyu and generals for wealth and grain is common among you. How come you still try to act righteous in the face of death before us?”
He finished speaking and executed the Xiongnu man under his knife, then had his soldiers bring another one.
One after another, the number of living Xiongnu people decreased, while the pile of heads on the side grew. The surviving Xiongnu warriors gradually turned their hatred into fear.
As the sun set in the west, Yuan Li looked at the remaining terrified Xiongnu warriors and spoke with a hint of conscience, “If you don’t want to lead us to the Xiongnu stronghold, you can also lead us to other barbarian tribes. We will spare your lives in exchange.”
“Other barbarian tribes are not Xiongnu. They compete with you on the grasslands for water, grazing lands, and women. Trading their whereabouts for your lives, isn’t that worth it?” Yuan Li said, “This is your only chance. If you don’t agree, then forget it.”
Yang Zhongfa waved the bloodstained knife in agreement.
The translating general quickly conveyed Yuan Li’s words to the remaining Xiongnu people.
The few remaining Xiongnu people, numbering less than thirty, trembled all over. They looked at Yuan Li and then at the mountain-like pile of corpses nearby, their faces showing signs of hesitation.
In the end, two Xiongnu men stood up, cowering with their heads lowered, and awkwardly spoke in broken and stiff official language, “We agree, we will lead you to find other tribes.”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
