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

Chapter 170 Empty City
According to Xiongnu custom, there is a Three Dragon Shrine held annually to worship the Heavenly God.

Therefore, the Xiongnu held three annual gatherings to worship the dragon, in the first, fifth, and ninth months of the year.

In the first month of the lunar calendar, a small gathering and sacrifice are held at the Shanyu Court to worship the Eternal Heaven.

In May, Longcheng holds a grand market and a grand ceremony to worship ancestors, heaven and earth, and spirits.

In September, a grand gathering was held in the forest. There were no sacrifices. The horses were fat and plentiful, and the accounts of people and livestock were reviewed.

The gathering was attended by chieftains of various Xiongnu tribes, and was called "the Small Gathering of Chieftains" in Han Dynasty.

The Great Gathering has no limit on identities; anyone who comes to Dragon City or Dwarf Forest can join.

This has been the case for centuries.

However, in the sixth year of Yuanshuo, the Han generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the commander of the Piaoyao Army, all agreed to attack the Xiongnu by cutting off the curtain. When the Xiongnu Chanyu heard of this, he sent his baggage train far away and waited with his elite troops north of the curtain. Later, Longcheng was captured.

The grand market in Longcheng in May was subsequently moved to the Shanyu Court.

This year is somewhat special; the grand festival was brought forward, and surprisingly, all members of the Right Wise King's faction were absent.

"Tengri! Plow the lonely path! Tengri! Plow the lonely path! Tengri! Plow the lonely path!"

The sacrificial and worship ceremonies continued as usual.

Tengri is the supreme deity in grassland mythology.

"Chengli Gutu" is a phrase used by the Xiongnu to refer to the sky as "Chengli" and the son as "Gutu." In the Han dynasty, the emperor was called the Son of Heaven, while in the Xiongnu, the Chanyu was called Chengli Gutu. Although they were different, they ultimately reached the same conclusion.

The term "Shanyu" signifies vastness and expansiveness, implying that the ruler resembles the heavenly Shanyu.

Heaven is a god, and the emperor and the Chanyu are both sons of Heaven. This is the relationship between Heaven and man. Therefore, to respect Heaven, one must also respect the emperor or the Chanyu.

During the grand ceremony.

The Chanyu's tent.

The kings of the Shanyu tribe and the kings of the Zuoxianwang tribe gathered together.

Among the Xiongnu, their most important ministers were the Left Wise King, followed by the Left Guli King, then the Right Wise King, and finally the Right Guli King, collectively known as the Four Corners.

Next, the left and right kings of Rizhu, the left and right kings of Wenyudi, and the left and right kings of Jianjiang, are the six corners.

They were all sons of the Chanyu, and were destined to become the Chanyu in turn.

The ministers of different surnames were ranked as follows: Left and Right Bone Capital Marquises, followed by Left and Right Corpse Chasing Bone Capital Marquises. The remaining officials, such as Rizhu, Qiequ, and Danghu, were ranked according to their power and the number of their subordinates.

This is the order of the various kings of the Xiongnu royal family, their royal titles, and the official titles of ministers of different surnames.

Besides these royal titles and official titles, there were many other kings and marquises, such as the Kunxie King, the Xiutu King, the Lutu King, the Aojian King, the Lihan King, the Xiuxun King, the Ou Tuo King, the Xiqi King, the Yougaolin King, the Yougunu King, the Youyizhizi King, and so on.

In addition, Zhao Xin was originally a minor king of the Xiongnu. After surrendering to the Han, he surrendered to the Xiongnu again, and the Chanyu appointed him as his secondary king.

After the plot at Mayi, the commander of Yanmen surrendered, and the Xiongnu made him their Heavenly King.

Lu Wan surrendered, and the Xiongnu appointed him as the King of Donghu Lu.

Marquis of Zuo'an, Marquis of Zuogugu, and Marquis of Suzhizhi are among those who used the title of Marquis.

The number of "kings" among the Xiongnu was no less than that of the feudal lords of the Han Dynasty. However, the Chanyu tribe was personally led by Chanyu Yizhixie, while the Zuoxianwang tribe was led by Crown Prince Wuwei. The father and son controlled most of the Xiongnu's elite cavalry, and even in the face of the Han Dynasty's counterattack and internal turmoil, they were able to maintain a semblance of stability.

"The reason I have urgently convened this meeting and summoned you here is to announce an important decision of mine."

Yi Zhixie spoke, his tiger-like eyes sweeping over the kings, and slowly said, "I just returned from Longcheng, the sacred land of my clan, which has now been destroyed by the Han army. I, Yi Zhixie, am ashamed before my ancestors!"

At this point, Yizhixie paused, and had to admit that when facing Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the Xiongnu truly lived up to the saying, "If you can't beat them, you can't beat them."

Whether they were facing off in formation or attempting a sneak attack, the uncle and nephew's offense and defense were virtually flawless.

The kings remained silent, deeply frustrated.

If all Han generals were like that Flying General, they would have chosen to fight the Xiongnu in their own right, achieving a resounding and decisive victory in every battle, making them the "most respectable" opponents, without exception.

"This is the first time in over sixty years that our people have suffered such humiliation. We will avenge this!"

Seeing that his emotions were stirred up, Yi Zhixie looked at the kings and said, "Therefore, I have decided to concentrate most of the main forces in the central and left wings to attack the Han territory and give the Han emperor a lesson he will never forget. But I know that this matter is of great importance and I would like to hear the kings' thoughts."

The royal tent fell silent.

The kings looked at Yizhixie and wondered if the Chanyu had drunk too much mare's milk wine last night and was still drunk.
Did the Chanyu know why no one from the Right Wise King's tribe came to the gathering? The kings of the Left Wise King's tribe were frowning at this.

The Han army's 40,000 light cavalry, led by that Marquis of Champion and Flying General, are rampaging through the Xiongnu territory and attacking Han lands. Aren't they afraid of being attacked from behind by the two Han armies?

At that time, they will be unable to advance or retreat, and the survival of the Xiongnu will hang in the balance.

Seeing that no one spoke, Zuo Gu Nu Wang of the left wing said, "The Great Chanyu has the ambition to conquer mountains and rivers and the lofty aspirations to reach the clouds. He should have done so long ago!"

During the Rebellion of the Seven States, our people had the opportunity to pacify Han territory. If, if our first Chanyu had possessed even a little ambition, the Han Dynasty would not be so rampant today!

The Left-Handed Slave King was close to many Han traitors, and his words were more pleasant than those of ordinary Xiongnu men. However, no matter how pleasant his words were, they did not mean that he agreed with the Great Chanyu's decision. He changed the subject and said, "However, the Han Dynasty is not the same as it used to be. Chang'an has concentrated most of the Han Dynasty's elite troops. If anything changes, they can be mobilized to reinforce the city."

The Guanzhong Plain is also advantageous for the Han army's chariots and infantry. The advantage of our Xiongnu cavalry cannot be utilized. Even if we send out all our elite cavalry, we cannot penetrate the Central Plains. Even if we do, our tribe cannot hold it. We can only roam and plunder the border counties of Han territory. Once the Han army arrives, our elite cavalry will have to withdraw from the Great Wall. I beg you, Great Chanyu, do not let hatred blind you..."

"What if our clan has an inside agent in Han territory?"

"It's not worth risking our hundreds of thousands of elite cavalry just to increase our loot..."

Before Zuo Gu Nu Wang could finish speaking, Yi Zhixie added, "What if my target is the Han dynasty's Dai territory?"

All the Xiongnu kings, including the Left-Handed Slave King, were shocked, their bodies involuntarily leaning forward, as if they doubted that they had misheard.

Replacement land?

That is the only Han territory that can maximize the capabilities of the elite grassland cavalry and is the only territory that the elite grassland cavalry can defend. If they can take it, the grassland's resource shortage can be solved in an instant.

"If the Great Chanyu is confident of taking the Dai region, who is the Han inside man?"

"You don't need to know who my inside agent is. Just know that my inside agent is making a lot of noise in the Han territories outside Chang'an, diverting the attention of the Han emperor. Soon, the main force of the Han army stationed in Chang'an will be dispersed to various parts of the Central Plains, leaving Chang'an vulnerable."

Seeing that the kings were interested, Yi Zhixie continued, "Not only that, my inside man has disrupted the Dai region in advance, and even opened a breach in that damned Great Wall. The Han's defenses can no longer stop our iron cavalry!"

A grand picture of conquering the Han dynasty's lands seemed to unfold before the Xiongnu kings, who couldn't help but stand up and say, "We are willing to give it a try with the Great Chanyu!"

(End of this chapter)