My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Four days later, the border will be closed.

The 100,000-strong Han army, seemingly out of fear of the Xiongnu cavalry, abandoned the siege two days ago and retreated south in full.

At this moment, outside Jiexiu Pass, the Xiongnu had occupied the abandoned camp of the Han army and raised the Xiongnu wolf flag.

Inside the camp, the aroma of meat and the smell of wine filled the air.

The Wei army was driving oxcarts, transporting cartloads of wine and meat from inside the city gate to the Xiongnu camp.

The Xiongnu people drank wine from large bowls and ate large chunks of meat, enjoying the lavish hospitality of the Wei Kingdom and having a great time.

Inside the tent, the cries and pleas of a woman could be heard intermittently.

Those were drunken Xiongnu men who were abducting Wei women from nearby villages and were now wantonly humiliating them.

Those cries of anguish cut like knives into the hearts of the Wei soldiers, making them grit their teeth in hatred.

However, despite their burning anger, they dared not act rashly. They could only pretend they hadn't seen anything, and after delivering the wine and meat, they silently left with resentment.

There was no other way; General Xiahou Dun had ordered that the Xiongnu be treated with the utmost hospitality and that they must not be neglected.

The higher-ranking officers had also warned them that the Xiongnu were known for their rudeness and lack of manners, and that if they did anything out of line, they should be magnanimous and turn a blind eye.

Inside the city gates, a grand banquet is underway.

General Xiahou Dun of Wei was entertaining Huchuquan, the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, with fine wine and delicacies.

"I remember it was the year before last. In the battle of Hedong, the general was a genius in military strategy. With a feint attack, he forced me to withdraw from Hedong and lost several thousand elite cavalry."

"It's only been three years, and I never imagined I would have the chance to share a drink with the General. To put it in Chinese terms, life is truly unpredictable."

"Come, come, let us drink this cup to the brim for our reunion today!"

After reminiscing about the past, Hu Chuquan raised his glass with a smile.

Xiahou Dun frowned and suddenly gripped the wine cup tightly in his hand.

How could he not hear the veiled sarcasm in Hu Chuquan's words?

You, Xiahou Dun, are supposed to be awesome, aren't you? Back then, you beat me so badly that I had to slink away from Hedong.

In just a few years, you have humbled yourself to cede territory and borrow troops from me, treating me as an honored guest and serving me the best wine and meat.

Xiahou Dun, you've finally met your match.

This is the subtext of Huchuquan.

Xiahou Dun could hear the veiled sarcasm, as could Guo Huai and the other generals of Wei.

The generals felt a pang of resentment, their eyes flashing with anger, but they could only swallow their anger and remain silent.

The same applies to Xiahou Dun.

At this moment, he was burning with rage, wishing he could overturn the table, grab his sword, and kill this arrogant Xiongnu Chanyu.

But reason told him that no matter how humiliated he felt, he had to endure it.

There's nothing I can do; you need their help right now.

The gains and losses of Bingzhou, and the survival of Wei, all depend on their 40,000 iron cavalry!

You're beholden to those who give you money, and you can only endure their sarcasm.

Taking a few deep breaths and suppressing his anger, Xiahou Dun forced a smile onto his face and raised his wine cup high:

“In that battle, Dun only won by luck. If he hadn’t used trickery, how could he have been a match for you, Great Chanyu?”

"I, Xiahou Dun, have the utmost respect for the Great Chanyu."

"Come, come, this cup of wine is my toast to the Great Chanyu."

"And let us celebrate today's transformation from enemies to friends, joining hands to fight against the treacherous big-eared thief!"

Xiahou Dun tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

As a general of Wei, he was willing to go to any lengths to please Huchuquan, even going so far as to publicly belittle himself and flatter Huchuquan. Having achieved his desired effect, Huchuquan was satisfied, laughed heartily, and then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

They revisited the old venue, and the drinks were almost finished. Hu Chuquan put down his wine glass, and his expression suddenly calmed down.

After clearing his throat, Hu Chuquan asked seriously:

"General Xiahou, I would like to confirm whether the Emperor of Great Wei will truly keep his word and grant the four provinces of Xihe to my Great Xiongnu?"

The hall immediately fell silent, and all the Xiongnu kings turned their gazes toward Xiahou Dun.

Clearly, the question that Hu Chuquan asked was the one that concerned them most.

This is also why Hu Chuquan was able to persuade them to put aside past grievances and come out in full force to help the State of Wei in the war.

Guo Huai and the other Wei generals all lowered their heads, some drinking and some eating, trying to hide their guilty conscience.

After all, everyone knows that although Cao Cao hinted at the cession of territory, he did not personally approve it; it was Xiahou Dun's decision.

Huchuquan isn't stupid; how could he easily believe just a few words from your envoy?

He needed a personal promise from Xiahou Dun and a promise from Cao Cao.

Xiahou Dun put down his wine cup and had a guard present a pre-prepared imperial edict to Huchuquan.

After reading it, Hu Chuquan's lips gradually curled into a smile.

"This is an edict written by my own emperor. All the matters concerning the four prefectures of Xihe that you, Great Chanyu, care about are written on it."

"The Emperor is the supreme ruler, and his word is law. Please, Great Chanyu, have no worries."

Xiahou Dun, without batting an eye, proceeded to deceive Huchuquan in front of everyone.

Guo Huai and the others were on tenterhooks.

Everyone knows that the so-called edict from Cao Cao was just a forged edict secretly issued by Xiahou Dun.

Hu Chuquan, however, believed it to be true, handed the imperial edict to his subordinates to put away, and then laughed heartily:

"The Emperor of Great Wei truly deserves to be called the ruler of a superior nation. He is indeed a gentleman who keeps his word. It is an honor for us, Huchuquan, to fight for the Emperor of Great Wei and for our Great Xiongnu to be a vassal of Great Wei!"

"Come, come, this cup of wine is to toast the magnanimity of the Emperor of Great Wei!"

Hu Chuquan raised his glass again.

Xiahou Dun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had fooled Huchuquan, and then laughed and raised his wine cup.

Another cup of wine was drunk.

Seeing that the fire was almost cooked, Xiahou Dun asked:
"Now that the Great Earl has retreated south, the Great Chanyu's Xiongnu cavalry has arrived. Our two armies combined have 70,000 men, and we are confident that we can fight the Great Earl."

"When will the Great Chanyu's Xiongnu cavalry set off south to help our Great Wei defeat the Big-Eared Bandit and recover Hedong?"

Hu Chuquan poured himself another cup of wine and said with a smile:

"General, rest assured, once the Xiongnu soldiers have eaten and drunk their fill and have rested their strength, they will naturally march south."

"However, before we leave the pass and head south, I have a few small matters I would like to ask the General for permission to discuss."

Xiahou Dun frowned slightly, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

After hesitating for a moment, he still feigned magnanimity and asked with a smile:

"Great Chanyu, you're too kind. We're family now. Please feel free to ask if there's anything you need."

Hu Chuquan put down his wine cup and said happily:
"Since we're family, I won't beat around the bush."

"The first thing is that I know General Xiahou has two sons who are currently in Jinyang. I would like to ask the two young generals to take this imperial edict to my royal court and proclaim it to my people to reassure them."

"The second matter is for General Xiahou to order the governors of Shuofang and Wuyuan to hand over the land of the two commanderies to our Xiongnu."

"Once these two tasks are completed, I will immediately lead my Xiongnu cavalry south to help you, General, defeat Liu Bei and recover Hedong!"

Xiahou Dun's heart skipped a beat, and his face immediately darkened. (End of Chapter)