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

Chapter 224 Martyrdom
Thousands of miles are frozen, and thousands of miles are snow drifting.

The corpses that hadn't been cleared away, the military flags charred beyond recognition by the flames of war, the acrid smell of gunpowder, and the bare earth exposed after the scorched grass—the lingering embers of war seared Li Gan's heart.

Li Ling, draped in battle robes covered in dust, his face smeared with sweat, showed no trace of his youthful vigor. The bloodstains on his warhorse's bridle testified to the brutality of the battle that had just ended.

"uncle."

Li Ling's eyes were red, and he suppressed his complicated emotions as he said, "We are still alive."

The clan ancestor's rebellion failed, and instead brought ruin upon the entire clan.

Upon hearing the news, the uncle tried to find his father, but on the vast grassland, his father and his troops seemed to have vanished and could not be found.

Unsure whether to advance or retreat, the uncle made a heroic decision: to lead his army to attack the Wushilu tribe, one of the three 10,000-household tribes on the left flank of the grasslands. The tribe was the son of Wuwei, the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu. It was heavily fortified and had tens of thousands of brave warriors, who intended to die for their country and preserve their loyalty.

The connection with the imperial court was not severed by the uncle, but rather because the messengers could no longer keep up.

Lai believed that "he would not obey imperial edicts, but only the orders of the Li family." The soldiers of the Li family fought bravely and bloodily, and neither he nor his uncle were able to die for their country.

With their armor, horseshoes, and stirrups, Li's army of less than three thousand killed five or six thousand elite cavalrymen of the Wushilu tribe. Like a chisel, they forcefully broke through the Xiongnu encirclement. As a price, only one hundred and twenty-one riders of Li's army survived.

Such a record may not be comparable to that of the Marquis of Champion, but it can still be described as "excessive killing of the enemy". During the battle, he killed several people from the Gaiwushilu tribe, including Qiequ and Danghu, which is considered a merit of "slaying generals". If there are no changes in the family and he returns to the court in triumph, his uncle will be enfeoffed as a marquis.

There are no "what ifs".

Facing the heavens, Li Gan pounded his chest, "Ling'er, tell me, why has my Li family fallen to this state?"

My father served as a general under three emperors: Emperor Xiaowen, Emperor Xiaojing, and Your Majesty. He achieved numerous military exploits and was renowned both at home and abroad, yet he was never granted a title of nobility.

The unreasonable military merit system of the Han Dynasty was an objective reason, but the main reason was that my father did not understand fate, presumptuously accepted the seal of the King of Liang, and had an unlucky destiny, often getting lost.

Oh, heavens, why do you mock my father?
Then came the struggle between the current emperor and the crown prince. His Majesty brought the father and son to the forefront, granting them military power. Although the crown prince later reduced their forces, several thousand light cavalry were still a considerable number.

Upon arriving at the battlefield, his father's fate took another turn, causing the entire army to vanish. The battles of Hexi and Daidi were over, but he was still nowhere to be found.

Despite these problems, he continued hunting on the left flank of the grasslands with his nephew, waiting for an opportunity to strike. He faithfully completed, and even exceeded, the task of containing the Xiongnu Left Wise King's forces. Even if he couldn't be enfeoffed as a marquis, he could still be enfeoffed as a marquis within the pass. However, his uncle, who was staying in the country, suddenly got caught up in the wave of plotting to restore the dynasty, which directly killed the family. Even the three of them, who were leading troops outside, became people to be executed.

Is the father's fate unpredictable, and is the family's fate also unpredictable?

Oh, heavens, why have you treated my family so cruelly?
Li Ling remained silent about the fate of his grandfather and the family. "Uncle, it's time to make a choice."

To return to China or not?

The uncle, who did not die in this battle, was in an even more awkward position. With the Han Dynasty achieving a complete victory in the Dai and Hexi regions, his brazen attack on a 10,000-household tribe on the left flank of the grasslands, despite the great victory, would still be questioned by the court officials upon his return home. Although the charges of rebellion and restoration would be enough to kill him, not all charges are the same. Such a "suicidal" attack would likely be seen as "ignorance of military affairs," which would then cast doubt on the Li family's status as a family of military merit.

The family is gone, and the past glory cannot be lost as well.

At this moment, it is even more unacceptable to turn around and fight the Wushilu tribe again, which would be tantamount to completely confirming that the Li family is ignorant of military affairs.

Not going back to China?
The Li family may have preserved its past glory, but its integrity is dead.

The biggest question facing Li Gan was whether to die for honor or to die for loyalty.

"Yes," Li Gan said, his voice choked with deep sorrow, "it's time to make a choice."

After the war, Prince Ushilu of Uwei sent a letter of surrender to his archer, saying that he was willing to forgive the previous deaths and injuries, and that if they were willing to surrender, Ushilu, on behalf of his father, would grant the two of them the titles of Right School King and Dingling King, respectively, which were the most powerful noble positions in the Xiongnu.

At the same time, Wushilu also spoke frankly about the current situation of the Xiongnu. His grandfather, Yizhixie, the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu, fled into the Yanyun Mountains of the Han Dynasty to escape pursuit during the Battle of Dai. His fate is unknown. Even if he is alive, the Dai Commandery will not let him go, nor will it allow him to return to the grasslands easily. Therefore, his father, Wuwei, the Left Wise King, is about to make a decision that goes against his ancestors and succeed him as the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu.

However, in the Chanyu court, Yizhixie's youngest son, Julihu, opposed establishing a new Chanyu while the fate of the current Chanyu was unknown. If a new Chanyu had to be established, Julihu felt that it should be himself.

Wuwei and Julihu are bound to have a showdown. If Li Gan and his nephew Li Ling are willing to train a large army for them and help Wuwei obtain the position of Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu, Wushilu will promise to repay them handsomely.

Red armor, black hair and beard, and brown battle robes enveloped a desolate, tall body, but from behind, he appeared somewhat hunched.

Facing the few remaining cavalry, Li Gan knelt heavily on the snow. "Brothers, it is my Li family that has harmed you. I can no longer lead you back to the Han Dynasty. Whether you go or stay is entirely up to you. Those who go will be deeply grateful, and my Li family will repay this kindness in the next life. Those who stay will be willing to share the high positions in the Xiongnu with you!"

Knowing that his uncle had made a choice, Li Ling knelt down in the snow, their heads hitting the ground and creating two dents.

The soldiers of Li's army stared blankly at this scene. They couldn't understand why the young general, who had been talking about fighting the Xiongnu to the death the night before, would surrender to the Xiongnu today.

Leaving aside the century-old feud between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu, how can we explain the many comrades who died at the hands of the Xiongnu's elite cavalry?
Their homes are in the Han Dynasty, and their hearts are in the Han Dynasty. How can they not go back? And how should the court treat their families?

But the one kneeling there is the young general!
Thinking of how General Li Guang ate and lived with them and treated them like brothers... People are all made of flesh and blood. They came from the Southern Army and did not enjoy the treatment of the Northern Army. The Emperor and the Crown Prince were too far away, but the old general, the young general, and the junior general were very close. They had all fought to the death for the Han Dynasty, so the court would probably not make things difficult for their families. However, the young general and the junior general surrendered to the Xiongnu and could not do without help.

"I wish to rest in peace with the young general beyond the Great Wall!"

"I wish to rest in peace with the young general beyond the Great Wall!"

"..."

The shouts of solidarity and shared destiny drifted through the air on the winter wind—

(End of this chapter)