A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 148 Unsheathed Sword
The sunset painted the sky a vibrant red.

The Xiongnu, the Right Wise King's Court.

Bonfires were lit, and countless young people wrapped in animal skins sang and danced around the flames.

Thanks to Tengri's blessing, the tribe has never seen so many cattle, sheep, and horses reproduce so successfully in decades.

A grand sacrificial ceremony was naturally indispensable.

Under the eager and excited gazes of countless tribesmen, the priest, dressed in a silk robe and wearing a hat with the teeth of a fierce beast, held a golden knife and slaughtered three sacrificial animals—a sheep, a cow, and a horse—to offer sacrifices to Tengri.

The beast's blood was spilled on the ground, the ceremony officially began, and people's hearts were filled with excitement.

The bold grassland man's eyes gradually turned red, and he grabbed the girl he admired and began to dance.

The few remaining animal hides were quickly stripped bare, and at these times, laughter and whistles would fill the air.

Perhaps it was the heat of the flames, or perhaps it was the stirring of their emotions, but the dark faces of the men and women turned bright red. They stepped aside from the dancing figures and shouted joyfully.

Infected by the music, more and more men and women stopped dancing, while the loud "singing" drew even more men and women to join in.

The children, dressed in grass skirts, had no idea of ​​the adults' joy; they simply kept their heads down, diligently picking up the long, hard bones.

These are the leftovers after we finished eating the meat.

Human bones are generally not as hard as animal bones, but they are lightweight, making them a more suitable "weapon" for children on the grasslands.

What the children loved most was the thigh bone of the men from the Central Plains. As soon as someone could find it, they would immediately grab three or five friends, make indistinct noises, and swing the bone at each other until one of the bones broke.

The children won't be heartbroken or shed tears over the loss of their favorite weapons; there are countless bones to be found around the tribe.

Therefore, children on the grasslands never lack bones, and this game has continued from ancient times to the present.

The courtship of young people and the play of children can always bring out a touch of tenderness in the eyes of the real adults on the other side.

They were clad in tanned animal armor, and gleaming scimitars hung at their waists—symbols of tribal warriors.

They competed to drink milk wine, trying to numb their nerves, which were deprived of the stimulation of fresh blood. They couldn't kill anyone; life was too boring.

When they saw the trembling, dazed Han women in the cattle pen and horse stable not far away, their sense of satisfaction would grow stronger, and when they looked eastward, the greed in their eyes would instantly overcome their fear.

The spoils of plundering the Han counties were always unforgettable for them: gold and silver jewelry, beautiful women and strong liquor, soft and delicate silk clothing, and so on, all of which were things that the grasslands did not have.

Unfortunately, the good things were all taken by the Right Wise King and the High Priest, and only cattle and sheep were given as rewards. They could only suppress their regret and make up their minds that they would definitely keep some treasures for themselves on their next trip to the east.

Party! Party! Party!

The Left Grand Commandant of the Right Wise King's headquarters walked up to the Right Wise King Yudan and said with a strange smile, "Right Wise King, the sacrificial ceremony is about to begin. I have selected ten young and beautiful women from among the more than four hundred Han female captives and placed them in the royal tent. Please come to the tent to perform the sacrificial ceremony."

According to the traditions of the Xiongnu ancestors, whenever there was a sacrificial ceremony, there must be female captives from the Central Plains. In the past, these were female captives from the Qin Dynasty, and now they were female captives from the Han Dynasty. This was to demonstrate their martial prowess and also to symbolize that the grasslands would eventually conquer that long-desired land.

The Xiongnu's political structure was very simple.

They appointed left and right wise kings, left and right Guli kings, left and right generals, left and right grand commanders, left and right grand stewards, and left and right grand stewards and left and right bone dukes.

From the left and right wise kings down to the heads of households, the largest number had ten thousand cavalry, and the smallest had several thousand, totaling twenty-four commanders, who were called "Ten Thousand Cavalry".

The Left and Right Wise Kings and the Left and Right Guli Kings were the most powerful, with the Left and Right Gudu Marquises assisting in the government.

Each of the twenty-four chiefs also appointed a thousand-man chief, a hundred-man chief, a ten-man chief, a junior king, a prime minister, a fief commander, a household commander, and a canal chief.

All the ministers held hereditary positions.

The Left Grand Commandant had followed the Chanyu for many years, even when the Chanyu was still the crown prince. After losing the struggle for the Chanyu position to his uncle Yizhixie, the Left Grand Commandant followed him to the Right Wing and became his most trusted confidant.

"News has come from the Chanyu court that the Marquis of Champion of the Han Dynasty is leading tens of thousands of light cavalry toward us. It seems that the Han Dynasty is determined to open up the Hexi Corridor," Chanyu said worriedly.

The Left Grand Commandant wasn't surprised. "Didn't we expect this day to come?"

"But the Chanyu court remained unmoved, using the excuse that the Han Dynasty's Flying General had led 10,000 light cavalry to the left flank, showing no concern for our lives!"

"Isn't this something we expected?"

The Left Grand Commandant was not surprised at all. He spread his hands and said, "The Great Chanyu and the Left Wise King have long wanted to weaken our king's power. With the Han army attacking, they would love for our king to die at the hands of that Marquis of Champion so that they can be completely at ease."

If it weren't for their unwavering protection of the Right Wise King back then, which instilled some fear in Yizhixie and Wuwei, Yudan would never have survived, let alone become king of the Right Wing.

The struggle for the throne of the Xiongnu chieftain on the grasslands is no less intense than the struggle for the throne of the emperor in the Central Plains. The winner lives and the loser dies; this is an eternal truth of the world.

"Without Henan, this place will no longer hold much significance for our people. The Great Chanyu and the Left Wise King are unlikely to fight to the death with the Han army for a blockade line."

The Left Grand Commandant stated the objective facts and reminded him, "Hasn't our king also made preparations for evacuation?"

As long as the Han army conquers the first major Xiongnu tribe in the Hexi Corridor, the Tupu tribe, the main force will immediately withdraw to preserve its strength as much as possible. This way, after returning to the Chanyu's court, they can make Yizhixie hesitate to act, and their lives will not be too difficult.

It is said that Yizhixie and Wuwei harbor treacherous intentions, and the Right Wise King's Yudan has also lost the will to compete with the Han army; all he thinks about is making a good life for the future. "I know."

Yu Dan did not deny it, "I am just unwilling. Once the Han army opens up the Hexi Corridor and establishes contact and alliances with the Western Regions, my people will be attacked from multiple sides. The days are difficult now, and the days to come will be even more difficult. I can't see the future of the Xiongnu."

"That's something for the Great Chanyu and the Left Wise King to worry about."

The Left Grand Commandant reminded him again.

Let Shan Yu realize his true identity. On the grasslands, as a loser, he has lost the right to lead the tribe. If his mindset is not right, there will be big problems after he retreats back to Shan Yu's court.

"Yes."

Yu Dan sighed. His father, Junchen Chanyu, was dead, and he was no longer the crown prince of the Xiongnu Chanyu. These matters were no longer his concern.

He turned and entered the royal tent.

Hearing the screams of the Han female captives coming from inside the tent, the Left Grand Commandant looked up at the starry sky and prayed to Tengri, "May Heaven bless my people."

tread!
tread!
tread!
The sudden, muffled sound of horses' hooves rang out, and the Left Grand Commandant was startled. Was it Tengri responding to him?
I instinctively looked in the direction of the sound.

The sound source grew closer and louder, transforming from a muffled sound into a clear boom, increasingly resembling thunder.

Such a commotion clearly indicated that a large army was marching, but the Left Grand Commandant neither knew nor had ever seen an army that moved like thunder.

"The Han army is here?"

The thought flashed through the mind of the Left Grand Commandant.

No news came from the direction of the Qilian Mountains, proving that the Han army had not even conquered the Tupu tribe.

Unless the Han army crosses the Alashan Desert, which is thousands of miles long, and attacks their own territory directly, it could not possibly be the Han army, but how could that be possible?
Our headquarters are located west of the Gobi Desert. Without a Xiongnu traitor to guide us, the Han army would have no way of finding our location.

Just as the Han people hated traitors, the Xiongnu also hated traitors. People from the Central Plains could easily get lost on the grasslands and deserts, but the Xiongnu natives were natural guides and knew everything!
Without the guidance of these "traitors," it would have been impossible for Wei Qing, the great general of the Han Dynasty, to have accurately located the grasslands where the main force of the Xiongnu was located time and time again.

Traitors are always the most hateful, whether they are from the Han Dynasty or the Xiongnu.

Even with Xiongnu traitors leading the way, would the Han people dare to place tens of thousands of light cavalry and hundreds of thousands of warhorses in the dangerous desert?
The Han generals are always cautious; it's absolutely impossible!
Could it be that the Shanyu Court's reinforcements have arrived?

At the edge of the horizon, small black dots appeared.

Soon, the sentries on guard confirmed this, and the mournful sound of the bull horn rang out, its desolate tone immediately alarming all the warriors of the tribe.

An enemy? Is it a friend?
The warriors threw away their milk wine, led their warhorses, mounted them, drew their scimitars, and prepared for war.

At this moment, the small black dot transformed into tens of thousands of cavalrymen, their hooves thundering, and the Left Grand Commandant's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

It was the army of the Han Dynasty.

"Kill without mercy!"

A command rang out from among the cavalry, sounding pure Han Chinese. The Left Grand Commandant was momentarily stunned; the voice was far too young.

With the iron-fisted military order issued, the Han army broke through the tribe's fence, and the Han soldiers on horseback did not hesitate to swing their swords at the tribe's sentries.

"Meet the enemy!"

The tribe's foremost warrior roared and led his men in a fearless charge. In mounted combat, the Xiongnu's elite cavalry were never inferior to anyone.

Bang!
The sound of metal breaking rang out, startling the tribe's first warrior. Before he could react, his eyes were filled with the glint of a blade.

The severed head flew off, splattering warm blood onto the faces of the warriors who followed, sending a chill down their spines.

The First Warrior is dead!
The second warrior is dead!
The third warrior is dead!
……

All the warriors perished in an instant.

"kill!"

Once again, an order was issued from within the Han army, successfully reminding them of the cruelty of war. Every time the merciless blade fell, it took the life of a Xiongnu.

Countless Xiongnu men and women knelt tremblingly on the grass, shouting, "Surrender! I surrender! I surrender!"

"In this battle, the sword will not be sheathed!"

Within the Han army, another military order was issued. Instinctively, the Han soldiers swung their swords, and instantly, heads rolled.

There was no resistance; the blade swung even faster. The high priest's eyes widened in fury as he cursed:
"General Han, you will die a horrible death!"

Bang!
Another flash of blade.

The cursing stopped abruptly.

(End of this chapter)