The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 247 Shejian and Han Xin

The two Qin army units rested on a stretch of Gobi Desert, and it would probably take them another day to reach the main camp.

This Qin army of over a hundred men lit a campfire to keep warm and shared their dry rations.

Shibuma was chewing on dried meat while mending his own leather armor.

Judging from the leather armor, it's made of high-quality rhinoceros hide, but there are many knife marks, indicating that this person was a fierce general.

Han Xin ate his dry rations while sitting by the fire. It was rare to see someone with the head of Modu hanging from his waist still able to chew meat.

"What should we do with these Xiongnu people?"

Upon hearing this, Shejian, who was mending leather armor, looked up at the bound Xiongnu people and said in a deep voice, "The general will handle this matter himself."

Han Xin turned around and looked at the soldiers behind him, telling them to rest.

Lying on the sandy ground of the Gobi Desert, Han Xin thought about how he had been raising his troops for a thousand days, and now they were finally going to fight on the battlefield. He wondered what had become of the group of young men he had brought with him, and whether they had survived the battle.

Meng Tian and Zhang Han were both outstanding generals. Han Xin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and while admiring the two generals, he was also thinking of his wife and children who were far away in Shangjun.

The next day, before dawn, Han Xin and She Jian led a group of Xiongnu prisoners and the head of Modu to the Western Army's camp.

Along the way, Shejian talked about his past. He had followed General Wang Jian in battles for a long time. After returning from the attack on Chu, he farmed in Guanzhong for a few years. When he heard that General Zhang Han was going to Longxi, he went with him.

Afterwards, he went to the Hexi Corridor with the general.

Han Xin asked, "You weren't originally supposed to join the army?"

Shibuma put another piece of beef jerky in his mouth and chewed it as he said, "I don't know anything except fighting. I can't even farm properly. If I stay at home, I'll just be a lazy bum."

Han Xin shook his head and smiled, saying, "I'm not good at farming either."

"Hmm." Shejian swallowed the beef in his mouth, then took out a large piece of beef jerky from the cloth bag and handed it to Han Xin.

Han Xin took the jerky in his hand, took a bite, and found that the jerky was thick, difficult to chew, and very salty.

When Shibuma had nothing to do while sitting on horseback, he would chew on beef.

Han Xin became increasingly curious about how much beef jerky this man had in his bundle, and how he could eat it for so long without finishing it.

The sunset in the northwest is beautiful, with a beautiful red sun on the western horizon.

The Western Army's main camp was right in front of them, still at the foot of Yabulai Mountain.

Shejian dismounted and led his horse toward the camp, asking, "Have you ever been to places further west in the Western Regions?"

Han Xin shook his head. He felt that his life should have nothing to do with the Western Regions. Who knows where the place was further away than the Western Regions?

Shejian replied, “Further west of the Western Regions lies at the foot of the Great Snow Mountain. There, herds of cattle, sheep, and warhorses roam. My warhorses came from there. Moreover, there are endless fruits and grapes to eat, and the grape wine is as abundant as spring water. At the foot of the Great Snow Mountain are vast fields of fruits and vegetables, where you can grow an endless supply of grain. There are also beautiful women from the Western Regions, and countless amounts of gold.”

Han Xin asked suspiciously, "Really?"

"Yes." Shejian nodded and said, "Chen Ping said so."

The two walked into the camp while talking. Shejian came to the front of the central command tent and said loudly, "Reporting to the General, your humble general Shejian and Colonel Han have returned with the head of Maodun!"

The voice of this burly man, Shibuma, was outrageously loud.

Han Xin, who was standing to the side, even felt that he had gone deaf for a moment.

"Come in." A voice came from inside the tent.

Shejian pushed Modu's severed head with one hand and pulled Han Xin into the main tent.

There were many people sitting inside the tent, who were probably generals from various parts of the Western Army. Shejian presented Modu's head, along with a golden crown and golden arrowheads symbolizing the status of the Xiongnu Chanyu.

Furthermore, there were Xiongnu prisoners brought in as evidence. Zhang Han summoned several people from the Western Regions, and with their testimony, it was confirmed that this person was indeed Modu.

Looking at Shejian and Han Xin before him, Zhang Han said, "Very well, I will inform the Prime Minister's office of this matter. You two can wait for your rewards."

Shibuya said loudly, "It is all thanks to the great general's wisdom; this humble general dares not take credit!"

Han Xin also bowed and said, "Han Xin dares not."

Zhang Han placed Maodun's head into a wooden box and then asked, "Han Xin?"

"exist."

"Alright, from now on you will stay in the Western Army camp."

Han Xin was about to refuse when Chen Ping stepped forward and said a few words.

Zhang Han nodded and said, "Very well, I will have someone bring your wife and children here."

Han Xin was not good with words and did not know how to refuse the general's kindness, so he could only bite the bullet and agree.

That evening, the army had begun preparing meals. Due to the great victory of the Western Army and the Northern Army, the camp was very lively, and a lot of meat and vegetables were sent from the direction of Wushaoling.

It snowed heavily again during the night.

Han Xin ate his noodles and stuffed a bite of beef into his mouth. He hadn't been eating properly these past few days, having only eaten dry rations all the way, and hadn't had any refined grains in a long time.

The people in the general's tent talked about the spoils of war, and everyone had a smile on their face.

Han Xin understood. These people were mostly saying that the victory in this war had brought a lot of people, livestock, and money to the Hexi Corridor.

After the war, everyone had a smile on their face.

Only Chen Ping was still saying how cruel and inhuman Modu was. He said that the Qin army's expedition against Modu was to end the tyrannical rule of this Chanyu, and that it was because Prince Fusu was wise and loved the people of the world that he sent troops to attack Modu.

That night, Han Xin ate a lot and eventually found a tent to rest in.

At dawn, Han Xin was awakened by the noise of the camp. He went to the stable and found his chestnut horse. After raising horses for a long time, he would cherish them very much.

He led it out and Han Xin mounted the horse.

Many people were leaving the camp, and Han Xin did not want to go to the Hexi Corridor now; he needed to wait here.

The military report has been sent to Shangjun. General Meng Tian may have other arrangements, and Han Xin's wife and children are still in Shangjun. Han Xin must wait here for military orders and for his wife and children.

He rode his horse to a high slope and saw a magnificent scene. After the great battle, the Qin army began a large-scale population migration.

A large number of Xiongnu people were relocated to the Hexi Corridor, along with a large number of livestock.

In this great victory, the Qin army took everything they could from the grasslands, and burned down everything they couldn't take, such as the Xiongnu's horse and sheep pens.

Han Xin looked back north, knowing that for decades to come, that northern grassland would remain a barren land.

The Qin army was, after all, the Qin army. They could not live like the Xiongnu. Therefore, the Qin army continued to occupy the southern part of the Gobi Desert, temporarily abandoning the northern part, and took away all the Xiongnu's population and livestock.

In the future, it will be difficult for large-scale armies to emerge in the northern deserts.

Han Xin didn't know what the future held, but at least for the next hundred years or so, there would be no more hidden dangers in the north.

For the remaining days, Han Xin guarded the camp every day. After General Zhang Han left, the number of Qin soldiers in the Yabulai Mountain camp decreased, and several teams of Qin soldiers returned to the Hexi Corridor every day until only a few menial workers were left to tidy up the camp.

Today, Han Xin stood in front of the camp, leading his horse, feeling the cold wind, and looked towards Shangjun in the east. Today, he finally saw a carriage coming towards him.

(End of this chapter)