Taiheiki

Chapter 330 Shanyu
"This is the Locking Curtain?" Zhang Wen asked with some doubt, "Can it withstand swords, bows, and crossbows?"

"General, you can try it yourself!" Gongsun Hao laughed. "Apart from spears, which cannot penetrate, swords, bows, and crossbows are all hard to harm you!"

Zhang Wen drew his sword and casually stabbed the crossbowman twice. Then he slashed his waist with the blade. He felt as if his sword had struck an extremely tough object. The crossbowman only took a step back but was not injured. Zhang Wen said with delight, "Indeed, good armor. Bring me the bow and crossbow!"

Gongsun Hao responded and ordered the crossbowman to bring his crossbow. He then removed his shackles and draped them over a straw man nearby. Zhang Wen skillfully strung the crossbow with a goat's horn, inserted the bolt into the groove, secured it with a goat's horn, aimed at the straw man, and flicked the iron handle. With a soft click, the straw man swayed. Zhang Wen dropped the crossbow and walked to the straw man. He saw that the bolt was embedded in the shackles, but the tip had only pierced about the length of a little finger before being caught by the iron rings of the shackles. Clearly, this depth was insufficient to cause fatal damage to the armored man.

"This armor is really good!" Zhang Wen praised. "Have the crossbowmen wear another layer of sheepskin coat over it, so the enemy won't be able to see them!"

"Here!" Gongsun Hao said with a smile, "Would you like to try again?"

"No need to try!" Zhang Wen laughed. "The armor and weapons of Jiaozhou are so formidable that neither the Southern Xiongnu nor the Xianbei can match them. What's the point of trying?"

"Yes!" Gongsun Hao laughed. "When I was a court official, I saw soldiers with particularly fine armor. Without asking, they were most likely from Jiaozhou. There was no mistake about that!"

"Really?" Zhang Wen frowned. "So, there are a lot more officials from Jiaozhou in the palace?"

"This—" Gongsun Hao was stunned. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans appeared on his forehead. He knelt down and said, "This humble general deserves to die. This humble general did not mean that. Please forgive me, my lord!"

"Enough!" Zhang Wen sighed. "Get up. What kind of appearance is it to kneel here in all that armor?"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Gongsun Hao stood up, his face ashen, covered in cold sweat, looking as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. Zhang Wen observed this and thought to himself that Wei Cong had silently infiltrated the palace, a truly worrying situation. The Han Dynasty was not without powerful ministers in the past, but their influence rarely penetrated the palace; at most, they could only extend their reach to the Five Northern Army Schools and the city gate guards. With the help of armed eunuchs and palace officials, the emperor could quickly organize an armed force, control the Secretariat, and issue edicts to all directions, leaving powerful ministers with no choice but to await their doom.

However, thanks to the Yuan brothers, the armed eunuchs who originally served and protected the emperor in the palace no longer existed. Furthermore, Wei Cong, a court official, gradually gained control by replacing his superiors and changing personnel. As for the Five Northern Army Colonels, although Wei Cong hadn't directly controlled them, the Commandant of the Capital Region was his man. With the significant increase in the number of troops stationed in the capital, the Five Northern Army Colonels no longer held their former decisive position. Therefore, even though the current emperor has come of age, it seems unlikely that he can wrest power back from this man.

"My lord, my lord?"

"What's wrong?" Zhang Wen stopped and asked.

"Should we go any further? There's a trench ahead!" Gongsun Hao asked cautiously. Zhang Wen was taken aback, realizing he'd been preoccupied and had unknowingly walked to the edge of the camp. He couldn't help but laugh, "Never mind, let's go back first!"

Having received reinforcements, Zhang Wen, regardless of his own views on the situation in Luoyang, acted swiftly: he divided his troops into four teams, each reinforced with an equal number of vassal state soldiers (i.e., Xiongnu soldiers), and began patrolling the border. With the Han army having just suffered a defeat and morale wavering, the most crucial thing was to demonstrate the Han army's military presence. This would deter the already wavering border tribes and buy time for the next move.

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Jinyang.

“Zhang Wen is a sensible man!” Zhang Huan sighed. “With his actions, at least those guys along the border will be a bit calmer. It will be easier for me to talk to Tan Shihuai!”

“Yes! At least the Southern Xiongnu tribes haven’t turned against us, so Xiutuge isn’t that valuable to Tan Shihuai, and we can talk about it!” The speaker, Bo Wanglian, the Princess of Taiyuan, was a local and knew the local situation far better than the newly appointed prefect. His words were a succinct revelation—for Zhang Huan, the best-case scenario was to avoid a large-scale military conflict with the Xianbei and exchange Xiutuge for money or other means. To achieve this, it was essential to ensure the loyalty of the Southern Xiongnu tribes to the Han Dynasty, at least in principle; only then would Tan Shihuai accept the Han's terms.

Conversely, for Xiutuge, if he didn't want to be betrayed by Tanshihuai, the only way was to lure as many Xiongnu people as possible. The more Xiongnu people under his command, the lower the probability that Tanshihuai would betray him. Ideally, he should provoke a large-scale direct war between the Han army and the Xianbei people, then he would be safe.

In this situation, the Han army's strategy was to keep the main force at bay while sending out small elite troops to patrol the border. This would not provoke Tan Shihuai into thinking that the Han army was about to cross the border, and it would also prevent Xiutuge from continuing to entice the various tribes of the Southern Xiongnu.

"Yes! This is like crossing a single-plank bridge, with another person coming from the opposite direction. It's difficult to go forward or backward!" Zhang Huan sighed.

"General, there's no need for that!" Wang Lian laughed. "In my opinion, the situation isn't as bad as it seems."

"Why do you say that?"

“At least Luoyang can understand the difficulties of the border region!” Wang Lian laughed. “You have been in Jinyang for some time now. There have been continuous battles and some setbacks. But Luoyang has only brought soldiers, armor, food and reinforcements. There are no imperial edicts or decrees to reprimand the troops, nor are there any eunuchs or military supervisors to order the army’s movements. This is quite remarkable!”

"That's true!" Zhang Huan laughed upon hearing this. "So it really is all thanks to the General and the Empress Dowager!" "Since the General and the Empress Dowager are so calm, then you don't need to rush at all!" Wang Lian said with a smile. "Actually, if we could find Xiutuge's location and send someone to eliminate him directly, that would be the best!"

“If that’s the case, then that would be best. However, I’ve heard that scoundrel is extremely cunning and shrewd. He usually only has twenty or thirty riders with him, wandering around without a fixed abode. Sometimes he changes locations two or three times a night. He only gathers his men when he has a target to plunder, and lets his men choose the spoils first before taking any for himself. A cunning and shrewd fellow like that, getting rid of him probably won’t be so easy, will it?” Zhang Huan saw Wang Lian smiling without speaking and suddenly realized something: “Could it be that you already have a plan? Tell me quickly!”

"It's hard to say if it will succeed!" Wang Lian smiled. "But there is indeed an opportunity. You should know that although Xiutuge is the eldest son of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu, his mother's bloodline is lowly; she was just a female slave, right?"

"Not bad!"

"Xiutuge was able to grow up safely thanks to a woman who shared a tent with his mother. She treated him with frugality and treated him as her own son. Later, as Xiutuge grew up and became famous, he became a chieftain of the Southern Xiongnu. He also treated this woman like his own mother. Whenever he obtained something rare, he would give it to her in her tent. If she fell ill, he would invite famous doctors to serve her medicine day and night, never stopping even when he was exhausted. Even when he was so angry that he wanted to kill someone, he would calm down and let her go as soon as she spoke."

“Hmm, I didn’t expect that this Xiutuge, though a barbarian, would understand the Han Chinese way of filial piety!” Zhang Huan said, “You mean to have this woman lure Xiutuge back?”

“It’s not that simple,” Wang Lian said with a wry smile. “This woman is not young anymore. She treats Hutuge like her own son. How could she let Hutuge come back and entrust her life to someone else? What I mean is, spread the word that this woman is seriously ill and dying, and doesn’t have many days left. Then send people to ambush around her residence. When Hutuge comes back to visit, then—” At this point, he clenched his fist and swung it downwards forcefully, his meaning self-evident.

“At a time like this, wouldn’t Hugh Turges realize it’s a trap?” Zhang Huan hesitated.

"This plan is only about 40-50% successful, but even if it fails, there won't be any loss!"

"That's true!" Zhang Huan nodded. "Where is that woman?"

"In Yunzhong County!"

"Well, then I'll have to trouble Zhang Wen!" Zhang Huan sighed.

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Below the hill, tall, soft grass enveloped Huturge. He slowed his horse, dismounted, and joyfully submerged himself in the yellow-green sea. His entourage, his companions, or rather, his brothers, were swallowed by the boundless expanse of grass. He could hear their whistles and shouts from the higher ground. Huturge was alone again, as if he had just arrived in this world. He paid no heed and continued onward, sinking to the bottom of the grass.

The green waves completely engulfed him, the air filled with the fragrance of grass and earth, mingled with the smells of horse odor, sweat, and his own scent. The scent of the Huns, the scent of the grasslands—he was the true master of this place, born and raised here. Huturge smiled happily, breathing deeply into it all. Compared to the exquisite silks, etiquette, utensils, and food of the Han people, he felt far more at ease here. He suddenly felt an urge to tread the earth beneath his feet, to wiggle his toes in the thick, black soil. So he released the reins, letting his mount graze, and then took off his boots.

Hehan suddenly rushed to Xiutuge's side like a summer storm, pulling hard on the reins, causing the horse to rear up in pain. "Chanyu, why have you abandoned us?" he shouted. "We can't find you here at all. If we encounter Han people or those traitors, who will protect you?" He leaped off his horse, nearly falling. His face was flushed, and he struggled to his feet, his expression full of anxiety.

"Who will protect me?" Huturge laughed. "Why should I need protection? This grassland will protect me. As long as I am on this grassland, I am safe. Whether it's the Han people or those traitors, no matter how strong their armor is, or how powerful their swords and bows are, they cannot harm me on this grassland!"

At this moment, the other followers also gathered around upon hearing the noise. Hugh Turge waved his hand dismissively, gesturing for everyone to sit down: "Relax, sit down. You must understand one thing: the grasslands are our greatest asset. Look, we have horses. Horses can graze, we can drink mare's milk, hunt, and gather grass to survive. At night, we can find a sheltered spot, wrap ourselves in furs, and fall asleep."

The Han people entering the grasslands need carts to transport supplies, to build trenches, to build tents, and to obtain all sorts of other necessities; otherwise, they will fall ill, weaken, and die in droves like insects. As long as we disperse and stay in hidden, secluded places, even if the Han people have the strongest armor, the most powerful bows and crossbows, and the largest number of soldiers, they will be helpless against us. Hunger, thirst, and disease will wipe out the Han people for us, without us needing to fire a single arrow or swing a sword! We only need to wait until the Han people are exhausted, then regroup, attack their weak points, burn their crops, and plunder what we need!

The entourage cheered, but there were only twenty or thirty of them, and their voices quickly faded into the vast grassland.

"As for our compatriots, they have forgotten the glory of the Xiongnu. They are attracted by the silk, precious utensils, wine, and delicious food of the Han people. This has weakened them, humbled them, and turned them into servants and gatekeepers of the Han. We went to attack the Wuhuan, Northern Xiongnu, and Xianbei on the grasslands according to the orders of the Han emperor, but victories have not made us stronger."
The Han emperor would not allow his vassal states to become powerful. If we become strong, the Han emperor will use all sorts of schemes and tricks to frame us, divide us, and cause us to fight among ourselves, leading to our decline once again. That's how the Han people are. When you are weak, they will help you, protect you, and provide you with food, livestock, and pasture; but once you become powerful again, they will fear you and envy you. Never have any illusions about them, or you will only die from the sweet words of the Han people!

"So what should we do next?" someone asked.

“It’s simple, just wait, wait patiently!” Hugh Turgene laughed. “The Han generals are looking for us now, trying to kill me with bounties and tricks, and trying to buy me from the Xianbei with promises.”

The Han people are always like this; they are clever, always seeking the easiest way, the shortest route to achieve their goals. What I should do is remain patient, constantly changing locations, telling every Xiongnu compatriot we encounter, "Come to the grasslands, for only there can we become strong again and await our opportunity. One day, the banner of the Xiongnu will once again fly over the grasslands, sheltering every descendant of the Xiongnu!"

The followers were silent for a moment, then suddenly one of them knelt down before Xiutuge and shouted, "Lead us to conquer! Chanyu!"

(End of this chapter)