Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 126: Protector General Kills Chanyu with a Sword on a Rainy Night

At nightfall, the rain, which had become smaller during the day, became larger again, and the sound of the rain echoed through the valley.

Inside the tent, Xubu Chanyu met with Mandan, his trusted confidant sent by Qubei.

"Chanyu, the Right Wise King defeated the pursuing Han army this afternoon and captured hundreds of Han soldiers. The Han army no longer dares to pursue." Mandan said, "Tomorrow our army can retreat without worry!"

"it is good!"

Xubu Chanyu was pleased and said, "Thank you for your help, Right Wise King. I will give you another reward when you return home."

Mandan crossed his arms and said, "My tribe is a different kind of Xiongnu. Fortunately, the Chanyu conferred the title on me and gave me the position of Right Wise King. My tribe should follow the Chanyu. I only regret that I failed to defeat the Han army yesterday, so I have no choice but to return today."

Xubu Chanyu comforted him, saying: "Although we have to withdraw our troops due to the heavy rain, it is enough for us to defeat the Han army! The Han Dynasty is gradually declining, and we Xiongnu have broken free from our shackles. There will be good opportunities for looting in the future, so there is no need to rush."

After a pause, Xubu Chanyu said, "There are also Han rebels in Hedong, and we may be able to contact them later."

Mandan looked serious and said, "I will convey the Chanyu's words to the king."

"it is good!"

Xubu Chanyu nodded slightly and said, "It's late today. You can rest in the royal court and return to the Dugu tribe tomorrow."

"Thank you, Shanyu!"

Xubu Chanyu was only a collateral branch of the Luan Ti clan, and was not as closely related in blood as Luan Timoche, the descendant of the previous Zuo Xian Wang. Therefore, after Xubu Chanyu came to power, he lavishly rewarded many powerful Xiongnu leaders. A typical example was the promotion of Qubei, the King of Youguli, to the position of You Xian Wang.

As for Zuo Xian Wang, Xubu Chanyu has not yet enthroned him. However, according to the normal Xiongnu inheritance law, Zuo Xian Wang is similar to the crown prince and will inherit the throne of Chanyu after Xubu Chanyu's death.

Therefore, among the Xiongnu, Qubei's status was second only to Xubu Chanyu, and this was also the upper limit that a distant branch of the Xiongnu such as Xiutuhu could achieve.

After seeing off Mandan, Xubu Chanyu wanted to visit his subordinates, but because of the heavy rain, Xubu Chanyu did not want to get wet, so he gave up the idea and went straight to bed.

When Xubu Chanyu was going to bed, the rain outside the tent became heavier. The bean-sized raindrops were connected like lines, the rain made a crackling sound, and the Yuli River flowed loudly.

On a mountain not far from the Xiongnu camp, the Han army built a simple rain shelter in the forest, taking advantage of the slope of the mountain, so as not to be exposed to the rain all the time. But even so, most of the Han cavalry's clothes were soaked.

“I wonder when this rain will stop!”

Under the shed, Zhang Liao stretched out his hand to catch the rain outside and said with a headache.

Lu Bu closed his eyes and said, "At worst, we can just fight in the rain!"

Zhang Liao turned his head to look at Zhang Yu and said, "My Lord, it is not impossible to fight in the rain, but if we launch a surprise attack, it will be inconvenient to command!"

Zhang Yu sat cross-legged and said, "We will raid the Chanyu's camp tonight, using the horn as a signal. If the horn sounds, retreat to the mountains before dawn."

"That's all we have to do!" Zhang Liao said.

Zhang Yu said to the officers in the tent, "There are several other large camps around the Shanyu camp. We will launch a surprise attack tonight. I will lead the armored cavalry to attack the Shanyu camp, and the rest of the troops will attack other camps according to the plan. But if you encounter a large group of bandits, don't hesitate to fight!"

"Yes!" Everyone nodded in response.

After an unknown amount of time, when everyone was drowsy, Shi Yi came over, dripping wet, and said, "Sir, the time is almost up. We need to gather our troops and prepare for battle!"

"it is good!"

Zhang Yu stood up with his legs crossed, walked to the forest, and looked up at the sky. The raindrops that were as big as beans before became smaller again, almost to nothing. The moon that was covered by dark clouds reappeared, spreading its white moonlight over the mountains and valleys.

Seeing the moonlight helping him, Zhang Yu said in a low voice: "Wenyuan, Fengxian, and Bodao quickly return to the headquarters and order the soldiers to put on their armor and prepare to attack."

"promise!"

Several people in the tent stood up and followed Zhang Yu's military order to return to their units and prepare for battle.

Zhang Feng took out the half-wet armor from the shed and helped Zhang Yu put it on. Because it was soaked by the rain, the armor was heavier than before. Zhang Yu moved his hands and feet and slightly adapted to the discomfort of the wetness.

"Hey~"

Soon, when Zhang Yu put on his armor, whistles were heard in the forest. With the help of the moonlight, soldiers and horses gathered one after another.

Because they were in the mountains, the eight hundred cavalrymen gathered separately, each holding a spear and holding the reins, and then, under the moonlight, they slowly moved down along the path they had found in advance. However, even so, many soldiers slipped along the way, and if it weren't for the horses pulling them, they would have fallen down.

After walking for a while, as the woods diminished, the Han cavalry on the hillside could already see the Xiongnu camp in the valley. Because of the previous rain, there were only a few lights in the camp.

Zhang Liao saw a bright fire in the valley and said, "Sir, the brightest fire in the valley is the Xiongnu Chanyu's tent. If we attack the enemy camp now, we may be able to kill the tent!"

Zhang Yu clenched the long spear in his hand and said to his attendants, "In the past, Huo Qubing traveled thousands of miles across the border and swept across the royal court. We cannot compare with him for the time being. But now the Chanyu's tent is right in front of us. If we cannot launch a surprise attack and achieve success, it would be our incompetence!"

"We are willing to follow you to achieve great things!" everyone responded in unison.

Seeing this, Zhang Yang's expression showed admiration. He had heard about his nephew's achievements on the frontier, but he never thought that his nephew would have the same ambition as Huo Qubing.

But Zhang Yang thought about what his nephew had done since the beginning of this expedition. When he was ordered to fight a defeated army, he turned the tide and repelled the enemy. If he could attack the Chanyu's camp today, or even capture his flag and return, his achievements would not be as great as Huo Qubing's, but nowadays, he is famous in the northern border!

As for beheading the Chanyu, Zhang Yang really didn't dare to think too much about it, after all, there were too many guards around the Chanyu.

It was quiet late at night after the rain, and the air was filled with the fragrance of the earth. The Han soldiers were assembling their horses in the wilderness at the foot of the ridge. The cavalrymen mounted their horses and were divided into three groups. Zhang Yu led the main armored cavalry to attack the Chanyu's camp, Zhang Yang and Lu Bu harassed the left camp of the Chanyu's camp, and Hao Zhao and Kobe harassed the right camp.

"Blow the horn and attack!"

Zhang Yu put on his helmet, pointed his spear forward, and took a deep breath.

"Woo~"

A dull horn sounded in the silent valley, and at the same time, the Han cavalry not far from the Xiongnu camp galloped forward on their horses in response to the horn sound. Thousands of horses' hooves trampled on the muddy ground, splashing strings of mud.

Because it was a rainy day, there were not many people guarding the camp, and the Xiongnu soldiers lacked the awareness of building trenches like the Han army. In addition, the archers led by Shi Yi were the first to reach the camp, so when the horn sounded, the Han cavalry quickly rushed into the camp.

"Enemy attack!"

The Hun soldier on guard just opened his mouth to shout when he was shot in the throat by Shi Yi's arrow. He slowly fell down while holding his throat.

The cavalry led by Shi Yi entered the camp first and quickly cleared out the Hun sentries on the periphery.

In a moment, Zhang Liao entered the camp first, and the cavalry under Shi Yi immediately guided Zhang Liao in the direction of the enemy.

Zhang Liao did not hesitate at all. He took the lead and rode in front on horseback, wearing armor. Although the horse's speed was slowed down by the muddy ground, his charge was like a torrent of steel and was still hard to stop.

The armored cavalry rushed along the passage between the tents, slashing with swords and stabbing with spears, galloping on horses, and the Hun soldiers on the road were powerless to resist.

When the heavily-armored warhorse driven by Zhang Liao collided with the Xiongnu soldiers who were unable to dodge, the sound of bones breaking was heard, and the Xiongnu soldiers were soon sent flying and then trampled by the Han cavalry. After Zhang Liao rumbled through the tent passage, a large number of Xiongnu soldiers were awakened by the sound of horse hooves and wailing. When many of them got out of the tent, they found that the cavalry led by Zhang Yu had passed by immediately.

"Whoosh~"

Zhang Yu galloped on his horse, shooting arrows at a rapid speed. With every arrow shot, a Hun soldier nearby would be hit or injured.

"The Chanyu has escaped!"

"The Chanyu has escaped!"

In order to confuse the people, the Yicong Hu under Zhang Yu took advantage of the chaos and shouted loudly, making the already chaotic situation even more chaotic, and the Xiongnu soldiers fled everywhere.

The Han cavalry charged into the Xiongnu camp in groups of five, and the Xiongnu soldiers who had lost their horses fell into chaos and allowed the Han army to slaughter them. Even if some Xiongnu soldiers found mounts and wanted to resist, they had to flee for their lives due to the chaotic situation.

For a moment, the three camps within the Chanyu camp were all thrown into chaos by the harassment of the Han cavalry. The Chanyu camp was much more chaotic than the other two camps because it had the most Han cavalry. The unprepared Hun soldiers howled and ran around like a flock of scattered sheep.

The Xubu tribe had only 4,000 soldiers and horses, which was not a large number, so their camp was not large. Now Zhang Liao, as the sharp sword of the armored cavalry, in order to kill the Chanyu's tent, he fiercely penetrated the Chanyu's tent all the way down.

It was not until Xubu Chanyu commanded a large number of personal guards to gather together that Zhang Liao's charge was stopped.

Zhang Liao thrust the horse lance into the chest of a Xiongnu soldier, then pulled it out and smashed it hard on the head of another Xiongnu soldier, causing him to bleed from the mouth and nose.

However, due to the large number of enemies around, Zhang Liao was targeted by many Hun soldiers. A spear was suddenly stabbed at Zhang Liao's back, and a long arrow directly pierced the Hun soldier holding the spear.

Zhang Liao looked in the direction of the sound of the arrows and saw that it was Zhang Yu who led the cavalry to support him.

"Sir, the Chanyu's tent is a hundred steps away!" Zhang Liao shouted, waving his spear.

Zhang Yu looked over and could only see the Chanyu's white banner, but Xubu Chanyu was surrounded by the crowd and could not be seen at all. After all, it was dark at night and there were so many people that it was really difficult to see the Chanyu.

"Wenyuan, the Huns have too many soldiers and it is difficult for me to find the Chanyu!" Zhang Yu shouted.

Zhang Liao saw that his horse had lost speed, so he shouted, "Dismount, charge with your spears and break through the formation!"

"promise!"

Zhang Liao was the first to dismount, drew out his halberd for infantry combat, blocked the spears coming from all around, gathered together with several people around him to form a formation, and then repelled the surrounding Hun soldiers.

Soon, dozens of armored cavalrymen around dismounted and, with the help of the cavalry led by Zhang Yu, gathered from all directions and formed two rows of small spear formations side by side with Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao joined the square formation, holding his halberd and shouting, "Charge and clear the way!"

"charge!"

With a loud roar, Zhang Liao and dozens of unarmored cavalry launched a spear charge towards the disorderly Hun crowd.

The Xiongnu soldiers guarding the Chanyu were all horrified when they saw the dismounted armored cavalry charging to the death. The cavalry might not be able to break through their phalanx because they had lost their impact force. But the heavy armored cavalry dismounted and launched a spear charge, which was enough to break through their phalanx.

"Pfft!"

"what!"

In just a few breaths, Zhang Liao and dozens of infantrymen squeezed out a path, and the Hun soldiers only resisted slightly, but were easily dispersed by the unarmored cavalry like a torrent breaking through a sand pile.

Zhang Liao ignored the wound on his arm and stabbed a Xiongnu soldier to death. He shouted, "Please enter the battle!"

"Please enter the battle!" the armored cavalry shouted loudly.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu's blood boiled, he put away his longbow, held up his spear and shouted: "Today I want to take the head of the Xiongnu Chanyu, who dares to go with me!"

After saying that, Zhang Yu galloped into the battle formation, while Zhang Feng and Shi Yi shouted loudly and followed Zhang Yu's horse into the battle formation.

When Xubu Chanyu, who was wearing an outer robe, saw Zhang Yu coming with great force, his face suddenly changed. He did not dare to stay around the tent. With the help of his attendants, he led a horse and fled to the north, preparing to find shelter from other tribes.

Zhang Yu didn't know where the Xiongnu Chanyu was, but when he saw Xubu Chanyu fleeing on horseback, he immediately knew his target and shouted in Hu language, "Don't run, you evil chieftain! I'll kill you!"

"drive!"

Upon hearing this, Xubu Chanyu waved his whip, fearing that Zhang Yu would chase and kill him.

After running a few steps, Xubu Chanyu looked back and saw that the long spear in Zhang Yu's hand was like a living snake, and the tip of the spear produced several silver flowers. Then he saw the two Xiongnu riders who were blocking Zhang Yu's pursuit fell to the ground.

When Zhang Feng and Shi Yi caught up and helped Zhang Yu share the pressure, Zhang Yu rode his white horse at a gallop and would soon catch up with Xubu Chanyu.

This scene frightened Xubu Chanyu so much that his face turned pale. He whipped his horse whip quickly, trying to get rid of Zhang Yu's pursuit.

But how could Zhang Yu let Xubu Chanyu go?

"Zhang Ji'an in the clouds is here!"

Two attendants rode on horses and stabbed horizontally with spears. Zhang Yu hid in the horse's belly to avoid the attack, and then stabbed sideways with his long spear. One of the riders bleed splattered and fell to the ground holding his abdomen.

The other rider followed the wrong horse and turned his horse around to chase after him.

In a moment, Zhang Yu had grasped the bow in his hand, turned around and shot back, knocking the pursuing Hu cavalry off their horses.

The white horse was stained with blood, Zhang Yu chased with a bow, vowing to shoot and kill Xubu Chanyu!

Xubu Chanyu was worried about being shot by Zhang Yu, so he quickly lowered his head and whipped several times. However, because he was lowering his head to the horse's back, only the moonlight illuminated, and he could not see the situation on the ground. The horse's hoof stepped on a slippery pit, and the hoof slipped, and the warhorse stumbled, causing Xubu Chanyu to fall to the ground.

Both the man and the horse rolled several times in the muddy puddle, and before he could react, Zhang Yu, who was chasing him, let his horse's hooves fall into the mud, but because the horseshoes were nailed on the horseshoes, the warhorse did not slip, but it knocked down Xubu Chanyu who had just stood up.

"Shut up!"

Zhang Yu stopped his horse, drew out the sharp blade from his boot, and stepped into the mud.

After finding Xubu Chanyu, Zhang Yu grabbed Xubu Chanyu's hair while he was unconscious, and cut his throat with a sharp knife with one hand.

Xubu Chanyu's artery was cut and blood gushed out, staining Zhang Yu's arm armor blood red.

This scene was seen by everyone who came over, and they were all shocked. The extremely majestic Chanyu was slaughtered like a chicken by Zhang Yu.

Then, Zhang Yu bloodily beheaded Xubu Chanyu, rinsed the head in mud, and then mounted his horse with the head in his hand, which stunned everyone!

With his back to the cold moon, Zhang Yu had a grim expression on his face. He drove his horse up the hill and held high the head of Xubu Chanyu to the people who were constantly rushing towards him.

"Here is the head of Xubu Chanyu!"

(End of this chapter)