The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 232 Annexation
Zhang Can believed he had guessed the general's intentions. The reason why the general trusted Shuoerhui so easily was because the general valued Shuoerhui's familiarity with the Shanyu region.

There are at least a hundred tribes of all sizes in the entire Shanyu region. A tribe with 500 people is considered to be of considerable size. Those tribes with nearly a thousand people are considered to be large tribes. There are even tribes with only a few dozen people.

The Tu Mao Chuan area is considered a relatively important region for the Shanyu, but even after traversing the Tu Mao Chuan area, he only managed to defeat two tribes. This was not because he was incapable of fighting, but because he couldn't find the enemy's location.

Even if you get lost in the mainland, you'll eventually find a town as long as you follow the road.

There are no roads outside the pass.

Therefore, he opposed the general's proposal. What if Shuoerhui was just deceiving them and leading them into a trap? His own cavalry and the wagon camp of the Hexi Camp were both indispensable.

If the cavalry fall into the trap and suffer heavy losses, then the Hexi Camp will be unable to go out of the pass to fight again.

However, the general insisted on giving Shuo Erhui an important position and actually believed Shuo Erhui's one-sided story. Such an irresponsible approach would certainly not have been accepted by Zhang Can under any other superior.

In response to the general's words, the general has never misjudged or misused anyone.

Even though I was initially dissatisfied with Zhao Yong and even doubted him, the facts proved that Zhao Yong was very reliable and that I had worried too much.

Shuoerhui rode his horse and followed Zhang Can all the way. They brought dried meat. Shuoerhui knew exactly where the water sources were in the Shanyu region, so when he was hungry he ate dried horse meat and when he was thirsty he went to the water to drink.

Led by Shuo Erhui, the more than 700 cavalrymen moved swiftly and soon found the first tribe.

It was neither a small tribe nor a very large tribe, but a medium-sized tribe with a population of five hundred. Shuoerhui laughed and said, "The enemy is not strong, Brother Zhang does not trust me, and our two tribes are not coordinated enough in battle. This tribe is a good place to practice."

Shuoerhui rose from a slave to become the Chanyu's right-hand man, excelling in both intellect and martial prowess.

Hearing Shuo Erhui's words, even though Zhang Can was wary of this person, he had to admit that if this person was sincere, then his actions at this moment were the most brilliant arrangement.

Following Shuo Erhui's suggestion, he led his troops to attack from the east, while Zhang Can led his armored cavalry to slowly advance from the west.

The armored cavalry were not weak, but they consumed a lot of energy and lacked stamina. Even without engaging in battle, they could put enormous pressure on the enemy, forcing them to divert their strength. Shuo Erhui sincerely said, "Even without Brother Zhang's armored cavalry, my brothers and I could destroy this tribe. However, with my brothers' support, I am more confident that we can defeat this tribe with minimal losses."

Shuoerhui is a strongman on the grasslands, while Zhang Can is a strongman from the interior. Zhang Can was born a border general in Yulin and served in Datong for many years. Now he is following Wang Xin and has learned many skills that he had never seen before.

The two companies, each with their own strengths, complemented each other's weaknesses, and according to Shuoerhui's plan, everything seemed perfect.

"Taiji, are you really alright?"

in the tent.

Amur was embracing a Zhou woman, whom he had bought at a high price in the border market a few years ago, despite the pain of the situation.

The women of Zhou are fair-skinned. Inside the pass, there are houses, big trees, high slopes and cliffs, and there is shade everywhere. Outside the pass, however, the sky is boundless, the sun is more scorching, and the wind and sand are stronger, which roughens people's skin.

There were many poor people inside the pass who could not make a living. The best ones were naturally sold to wealthy families at high prices, while the less fortunate ones could still be sold for a high price outside the pass. Where there is demand, there is supply and demand.

Amur was content and treated the Zhou woman quite well. The Zhou woman had been living better than those in the mainland in recent years. She nestled in Amur's arms, her face showing worry.

“We are far from the route from Datong to Shanyu City, how could Zhou Jun possibly find us?”

Amur disagreed, holding the Zhou woman as they lay down on the blanket. He reached out and stroked her exposed arm, comforting her, "After autumn, when the tribe's cattle and sheep have fattened up, we'll head north and come back to visit next spring."

The further north you go, the colder it gets. If it weren't for an accident, Amur would never have planned to go north and suffer.

The north is too desolate. When it gets coldest, people don't even dare to leave their tents. Many livestock in the tribe freeze to death, and many slaves also freeze to death. In order to keep the tents warm, the slaves have to endure the freezing cold to work outside.

The woman nodded. Having lived outside the Great Wall for so many years, she could understand what the Taiji was saying.

Only when the cattle and sheep are fattened up can they survive in the harsher north. The more cattle and sheep that survive, the faster the tribe will recover. The woman asked worriedly, "Will things be better next year?"

Amur said nonchalantly, "The Zhou people often say that a new official makes a big splash when he takes office. General Wang is indeed formidable. If we don't provoke him and send him a generous gift next year, things should be stable."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief. Over the years, she had become unable to endure hardship. She had been to the northern frontier once, and even though she stayed in a tent all day, burning fuel made from cow and horse dung for warmth, she almost froze to death.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

The horns sounded in the tribe, a warning to the people of an enemy attack.

Amur jumped up, grabbed the scimitar from the wooden box, lifted the curtain and went out. He was shirtless and saw the tribespeople fleeing in panic. He grabbed one of them and asked, "What happened?"

"cavalry!"

"So many cavalry." Amur couldn't get any answers, so he shouted, "Taiji is here! Don't panic, come at me!" The effect was quite good; soon, many people gathered around.

Amur led his men to the noisiest area. There were fewer tents, the view opened up, and they saw familiar faces.

"Shuo Erhui!"

Why did you attack me?

While driving away the scattered herders, Shuoerhui heard someone call his name. He looked over, his eyes lit up, and he recognized the person as Amur. If he could take this man's head, he would have done a good deed, and Zhang Can would trust him even more.

Shuo Erhui believed that Wang Xin was a strongman who would be the one to set the rules for this land in the future. Da Bansheng had betrayed him, so he felt no shame in siding with Wang Xin. The most important thing was to gain his trust and make contributions.

"Kill it!"

Shuoerhui led his men to change direction and head towards Amur.

Amur was furious. He had been so focused on guarding against Zhou's army that he thought they couldn't find him, but he hadn't expected Shuo'erhui to come and attack him. He was even a little scared. This was Shuo'erhui, after all.

Knowing he was no match for them, Amur shouted, "Shuoerhui, we are all from the Shanyu tribe, are we going to kill each other?"

“Who’s from the same tribe as you? I’m General Wang’s subordinate.”

Shuoerhui had already rushed up to Amur. Everyone around Amur knew Shuoerhui's name. Precisely because they all recognized Shuoerhui, their morale was low and no one had the courage to fight.

Amur looked around and saw his fleeing tribesmen. Despair filled his heart. Before he could say anything, Shuoerhui had already swung his sword down.

Having risen from slavery to his current status, Shuo Erhui knows very well what he should do.

Just as when I served the Chanyu, I had to do everything to the best of my ability, instead of being half-hearted. Similarly, now that I want to pledge allegiance to General Wang and gain his trust and favor, I must make him extremely satisfied.

No matter who it is, Shuo Erhui shows no mercy when he kills them.

With Shuo Erhui leading the way, Zhang Can had to admit that this re-entry into the border was the easiest and most effective he had ever done, and he had achieved more military exploits than all his previous attempts combined.

After annihilating another tribe, Zhang Can was convinced and took Shuo Erhui's hand, saying, "You are indeed remarkable and very capable. No wonder the general took a liking to you at first sight."

One by one, the tribes were easily located, mostly consisting of several hundred people. Together with Shuoerhui, they effortlessly eliminated these enemies with little to no loss. The greatest losses were borne by Shuoerhui.

The key point is that Shuoerhui is very sensible. He also selects slaves from the destroyed tribes to join his tribe, but not many, just enough to make up for his losses, which is completely reassuring.

“It’s all thanks to the general,” Shuo’erhui retorted. “The general killed the Chanyu, leaving the Chanyu’s tribe leaderless, which gave us the opportunity.”

Zhang Can licked his lips.

This man always talks about generals, making himself seem more loyal than himself, which is quite annoying. Apart from this flaw, I haven't found anything else. This man is truly a talent. Indeed, no one who can rise to the top should be underestimated.

The carts moved at a steady pace, maintaining a distance of forty li per day.

The cavalry would eliminate the tribes along the way, but this method could only rely on luck to wipe out one or two tribes at most. Now, with Shuo Erhui's help, the results have increased several times over.

When the army arrived at the site of the former city of Shanyu, they only saw an endless open space.

The Chanyu died, his brother also died, and Shuoerhui betrayed the Chanyu once again. Under a series of blows, and with the arrival of Zhou troops, the Chanyu's forces were torn apart.

Some went to Dabansheng area, some moved in other directions, and some wanted to follow Shuo Erhui's example and go to Da Zhou.

Several Taijis, both high and low, knelt on one knee. They had already heard that Wang Xin had killed the Chanyu because the Chanyu did not follow the Zhou rites. Although they felt indignant, they dared not offend him. They said sincerely, "We despise Dardai and Ouyanhu's plot to poison Mo Bisheng, but we are powerless to oppose him."

“Daldai and Ouyanhu are rebels.”

Wang Xin emphasized.

Upon hearing Wang Xin's words, the group nodded repeatedly.

“You are all officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and you should cooperate with the Zhou army to eliminate the rebels as soon as possible, instead of waiting for me to kill the Chanyu. Such behavior is a disservice to the preferential treatment given to you by the court.”

Wang Xin certainly wouldn't let them off easily. Trying to waver between the two sides and help whoever wins is simply not going to work.

Now that we've won and eliminated our biggest rival, how could we possibly let go of the tribes that have even less strength to resist? Helping whoever wins is the biggest mistake. Wang Xin sneered, "Each of you must offer up half of your cattle, sheep, and horses before I allow you to continue grazing in the Shanyu region; otherwise, you are enemies."

(End of this chapter)