The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 230 The First Step with the Left Foot

Once people are on the rise, the world becomes boundless.

Although there were not 10,000 men, there were 8,000 cavalry, making it a formidable force.

Zhou Jun's actions in the Tu Mao Chuan area angered many tribes. This time, many tribes responded to the Chanyu's call, especially those tribes that had fled Tu Mao Chuan. Therefore, Chanyu Dardai was secretly pleased.

“Wang Xin is a brilliant strategist and a formidable enemy of ours. Fortunately, the Great Zhou is different from us. If Wang Xin were the emperor of the Great Zhou, we would be in dire straits.” Dardai said, riding on horseback, surrounded by Taijis and trusted generals from various tribes.

Many people lost their tribes and sought refuge with the Chanyu, making the Chanyu even more powerful.

In order to resist the Great Zhou, the Taiji had no choice but to support the Chanyu. "The Chanyu's praise of Wang Xin is a bit too much of an exaggeration," one Taiji said unhappily. Everyone knew that the Chanyu had suffered a loss against this man, so in order to wash away the previous humiliation, he praised the enemy as incredibly brave, which made this man very unhappy.

Dardai smiled but remained silent.

Other Taijis spoke up, with many agreeing with Dardai and reminding their companions to be careful of Wang Xin.

"Although this person has been in Datong for less than a year, he is very hostile towards us and ruthless. It is a fact that many people have suffered at his hands. If you underestimate him, you will suffer the consequences."

"Fat Feng is impressive, isn't he? He still fell for this guy."

"He also defeated armored cavalry."

After that last sentence, the Taiji had nothing to say. None of the tribes had a good way to deal with the eight hundred armored cavalrymen under Feng Pangzi's command. The only option was to avoid their sharp edge, that is, to avoid direct confrontation with the armored cavalrymen.

The monks may run away, but the temple cannot escape; each family is reluctant to give up their pastures in the Shanyu region.

The Hetao region can support over 100,000 people, but other areas like the Gobi Desert and the Gobi Desert cannot; they can hardly support even a few thousand people in the same area.

Since no one wanted to fight, seeking peace became the mainstream. No one was worried about this operation. After all, there were several thousand cavalrymen, and they wouldn't attack Weiyuan Pass. Did they think Wang Xin could swallow them whole? Wouldn't that break his teeth?

Upon arriving at the agreed-upon location, the Qingshui River outside Weiyuan Pass, which is outside the Moershan mountain area.

Two thousand five hundred Zhou soldiers stood ready, forming three positions that supported each other. There was also a rear camp in the mountains, with more than a thousand militiamen to guard the camp. The main force consisted of more than eight hundred garrison troops from the Yanmen Pass area, as well as a small number of soldiers drawn from Weiyuan Pass, totaling nearly four thousand men.

Only 2,500 soldiers were actually capable of fighting, while the other 1,000 or so could only do odd jobs. Even so, this ratio was already quite astonishing.

Compared to the orderly formation of Zhou Jun's army, the Shanyu's troops appeared chaotic and disorganized.

Seeing the silent and motionless Zhou army camp, and looking at their own chaotic situation, with no unified command among the various units, each relying on their own Taiji (princes), either charging in a swarm or conserving their strength with their own Taiji, many Taiji and generals turned grim.

The strength of both sides is obvious to the naked eye.

The Chanyu looked at the familiar figure in the distance, thought for a moment, and then ordered, "Go and tell General Wang to invite him to come and meet you." The original plan was for him to take the initiative to meet Wang Xin. With a large army backing him up, he was not worried that Wang Xin would act recklessly.

"Brother is right."

Alday voiced his support.

With Zhou Jun's formation like that, who would dare to charge? Even the once unruly Taijis have become quiet.

The envoy nodded, raised a white flag, and, under the watchful eyes of both sides, proceeded to the Zhou army's position. He easily met with Wang Xin and presented the Chanyu's demands.

Liu Tong angrily said, "Why go back on your word about what you've agreed upon?"

As agreed, they would find a reason to kill the Chanyu under the pretext of his rebellion, and then march on the Chanyu's tribe. It wasn't that they didn't take the eight thousand Hu cavalry seriously, but rather that the Chanyu's tribe was not a unified and mature system.

The plan went smoothly, including witnessing firsthand the eight thousand Hu cavalry, each acting independently in small groups, clearly very disorganized. Such an army, let alone others, even Liu Tong himself, didn't believe that the Chanyu could be so united in fighting the Zhou army after his death. Even if some were eager for revenge, Liu Tong wasn't afraid of them; on the contrary, he hoped to use the opportunity to eliminate them.

Everything was going smoothly until the Chanyu changed his mind.

Did the Chanyu see through their plan?

The envoy explained, "General Wang summoned the Chanyu, and the Chanyu, to show his sincerity, took the initiative to come to Weiyuan Pass. Now it is General Wang's turn to demonstrate his sincerity." Of course, the envoy could not say that his own Chanyu was afraid.

The situation is now clear: the Chanyu's attitude is firm; he will not come to the Zhou army to see Wang Xin.

"Then let's put it in the middle."

Wang Xin proposed a new plan: "Each side should bring fifty men between the two armies."

The new plan was the fairest, and the envoy had nothing to say. He returned to tell the Chanyu that the new plan was also beyond reproach for the Chanyu. Although he was still hesitant, he could no longer refuse.

People aren't fools; many know why the Chanyu changed his mind.

To save face, the Chanyu could no longer refuse.

"From now on, it's up to you guys," Wang Xin said to Liu Tong and the others.

The reason for bringing fifty people is that, in small-scale operations, the Mandarin Duck Formation can achieve the greatest cost-effectiveness.

With fewer troops, even if they successfully wipe out Dardai, they will suffer considerable losses and will be unable to withstand the onslaught of the Hu cavalry until their own reinforcements arrive. No matter how undisciplined the Hu people are, they are still an army, and given the Chanyu's status, he will surely have many loyal followers, such as his brother Aldai.

If the number of people is too large, the Chanyu (ruler) may not agree.

Therefore, fifty people were the most suitable, and the Chanyu had no reason to refuse. Liu Tong was a warrior monk who had once been the captain of the Jiedushi's personal guard. In addition, he had followed Wang Xin for a long time and still used the Mandarin Duck Formation to this day. Therefore, Wang Xin entrusted the most important task to Liu Tong.

Liu Tong nodded heavily. "Don't worry, General."

Tang Ping couldn't help but grab Liu Tong's arm. The two were old comrades-in-arms, and everything was understood without words. Liu Tong nodded to Tang Ping again.

A moment later, the Chanyu (Xiongnu ruler) also sent a message of agreement.

Each side sent fifty people.

Wang Xin and Liu Tong set off, all of them infantry. Meeting the Chanyu was no problem, but the difference was that they brought cavalry.

Unable to think of any other unexpected event, the Chanyu smiled upon seeing Wang Xin, dismounted, and bowed, saying, "General Wang, we meet again."

"You actually disregard the Zhou rites?"

When Dardai dismounted and walked over, Wang Xin was shocked.

Influenced by Wang Xin's attitude, the Chanyu began to have doubts. Had he committed some heinous crime? Was it a grave mistake to disobey the Zhou rites? No, that didn't make sense. The Chanyu realized he hadn't done anything wrong at all.

"As the commander of the Great Zhou, you have dared to disobey the Zhou etiquette. This is an outrageous act that deserves death. Kneel down now!"

Wang Xin shouted loudly.

The Chanyu immediately turned around, took a step with his left foot, and was about to step into the stirrups to mount his horse and leave when he sensed the murderous aura.

(End of this chapter)