I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 279 Southern Xiongnu

Upon receiving the news, Gu Yong, who was also the Chief Clerk of Liu Miao and the Prefect of Jingzhou, lost his previous composure.

That face, which was always cold to everyone, actually managed a smile for the first time, surprising Zhou Yu, who was stationed in Xiangyang. He exclaimed in surprise, "Yuan Tan can actually smile?"

Zhou Yu and Gu Yong were friends Liu Miao knew when he was establishing his power.

But Gu Yong never treated Zhou Yu with the same coldness, nor did he show any courtesy to Liu Miao or Zhang Zhao. Even at lively banquets, Gu Yong maintained this demeanor. Over time, even a socialite like Lu Su stopped inviting Gu Yong to banquets, fearing that his presence would prevent others from enjoying themselves.

Yet, this very person was able to laugh so happily when he heard that Cai Yan was about to return!
Zhou Yu exclaimed in surprise, "This is hardly a case of our lord redeeming Cai Yong's daughter with a large sum of money; it's clearly a case of our lord using a large sum of money to win a smile from Yuan Tan!"

Gu Yong didn't seem to care at all about Zhou Yu's scheming.

Now, all he wants to do is get to the north as soon as possible and bring his teacher's daughter back!
Everything else is just fluff!
The day has finally arrived.

The Southern Xiongnu on the opposite side provided the location.

Fenglingdu!
It was only a short distance from Xiangyang, heading north to Nanyang, and then taking the Wuguan Road to enter Guanzhong and travel eastward.

But this stretch of road felt incredibly long to Gu Yong.

Along the way, Gu Yong suddenly became anxious, fearing he would miss the deadline. Then he suddenly stopped by the roadside, seemingly hesitant to see Cai Yan.

Accompanying Gu Yong was Zhang Xiu, who was familiar with the terrain of Guanzhong.

This was the first time Zhang Xiu had seen Gu Yong, who was known for his composure, so flustered. He comforted Gu Yong, saying, "Reuniting with an old friend is a joyous occasion! Why is Yuan Tan so hesitant?"

Gu Yong let out a long sigh.

As a disciple, being unable to save his teacher or protect his teacher's family was a nightmare for Gu Yong.

Now that the nightmare is about to be erased, Gu Yong is somewhat worried, and has even resorted to asking Zhang Xiu questions—

"Do you think my teacher, in heaven, would blame me?"

Zhang Xiu naturally shook his head!

"When Wang Yun killed Cai Yong, the court and the public were in an uproar! I was in Guanzhong at the time and saw many famous scholars plead with Wang Yun for his life. Among them were even high-ranking officials like the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. But even so, Wang Yun still wanted to kill your teacher. So even if you were in Guanzhong, you absolutely could not have saved him."

Gu Yong then asked, "Do you think my senior sister will blame me?"

"She returned to Han territory from beyond the Great Wall and saw old friends again. How could she possibly blame the Chief Secretary?"

Zhang Xiu, as the last surviving warlord of Xiliang, was not lacking in insight and wisdom, even though Jia Xu was the reason for his success.

Under Zhang Xiu's reassurance, Gu Yong finally stopped hesitating and immediately set off northwards, heading towards Fenglingdu with all his might.

Gu Yong and Zhang Xiu led more than 500 cavalrymen to the south bank, while the Southern Xiongnu cavalry had already arrived at the north bank.

The one who escorted Cai Yan back to the Han Dynasty was Liu Qubei, the Right Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu, also known as Luan Ti Qubei.

His ancestor, General Liu Jinbo, was captured during a campaign against the Northern Xiongnu. His son, Shili, was enfeoffed as the King of Guli by the Chanyu and was known as the Dugu tribe. He held considerable power within the Southern Xiongnu.

Just now, there were more than two thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen escorting Cai Yan.

When these Xiongnu cavalrymen saw Zhang Xiu arrive, they not only showed no courtesy, but also continued to provoke him, shouting some incomprehensible words.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Xiu snorted coldly and ordered his personal guards to raise a flag.

Although the flag was tattered and worn, it sent a chill down the spines of the Xiongnu people when it stood on the shore.

The banner of the Xiliang cavalry!
When Dong Zhuo was the governor of Bingzhou, this banner brought too much harm and bloodshed to the Xiongnu people, so much so that even now, some people still recognize this banner.

Upon discovering that Zhang Xiu was actually from Xiliang, these Southern Xiongnu cavalrymen finally dared not act too recklessly anymore.

Because it was already late when they arrived at the ferry, Zhang Xiu first camped on the south bank, planning to welcome Cai Yan the next day.

Gu Yong originally wanted to welcome Cai Yan back today, but Zhang Xiu dissuaded him.

"The Xiongnu are known for their cunning. If we welcome them back to garrison here now, we don't know if they might break their promise and attack us under cover of night."

"Once it's daytime, let them see our army's disciplined formation. After we bring our people back, we can retreat in an orderly manner and won't have to worry about these Xiongnu causing trouble!"

Gu Yong glanced at the sky and agreed with Zhang Xiu's words, so he suppressed his emotions and waited for dawn.

But in the middle of the night, another uninvited guest suddenly arrived.

After the imperial court was moved away by Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun was left to guard Luoyang as the Governor of Henan.

Xiahou Dun was strong and powerful, with a tall and imposing figure, and his eyes were bright and piercing. However, Zhang Xiu and Gu Yong both looked somewhat displeased when they saw this trusted general of Cao Cao.

At this moment, Xiahou Dun suddenly arrived at this place, and he even brought his troops with him, which clearly indicates that he had some ulterior motive!

Whatever Xiahou Dun's schemes may be, they are clearly related to Cai Yan!
as predicted……

When Gu Yong heard that Xiahou Dun actually wanted him to take Cai Yan to Xuchang, he was furious!

"Cao Mengde can do whatever he wants; why make things difficult for a woman?"

Gu Yong saw this clearly and couldn't help but curse loudly!

"Isn't Cao Cao just trying to take this opportunity to establish relations with the Southern Xiongnu? If that's the case, then you should just go and invite Liu Qubei, the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, to Xuchang. What does it have to do with my senior sister!"

Xiahou Dun remained composed: "It is the Emperor's decree that Cai Yan is to be presented to the Emperor." "Bah! My teacher has already died for the Han Dynasty! Does he intend to put his daughter in danger as well?"

Gu Yong actually swore!

It has to be said that after spending a lot of time with Liu Miao, everyone's manners visibly declined!

Xiahou Dun was clearly surprised that Gu Yong dared to rebuke the emperor.

However, Xiahou Dun was not angry about this.

Others might still have some respect for the emperor and the Han Dynasty.

However, as a relative of Cao Cao and a pillar of Cao Cao's confidant, Xiahou Dun's attitude towards the emperor was actually more radical than Cao Cao's!
Therefore, Xiahou Dun did not use the etiquette between ruler and subject to provoke Gu Yong, but said directly: "Since Yuan Tan has already guessed the reason, then I will not hide it from you."

"Mengde indeed wanted to use this opportunity to make contact with the Southern Xiongnu."

"Now, war between us and Yuan Shao is inevitable. I've heard that Yuan Shao has already won over the cavalry of the Wuhuan and Xianbei as allies. Cavalry is not only Mengde's weakness, but also your lord Liu Miao's weakness. If we can win over the Southern Xiongnu, it will benefit both of us!"

Xiahou Dun was never just a general.

in contrast.

Before Cao Cao's power grew, he would usually be away on campaigns while Xiahou Dun was stationed at the main camp.

Therefore, Xiahou Dun's thoughts must have been more numerous and profound.

“I know that Cai Yan is the daughter of your teacher Cai Yong, and you are eager to take her back to Jiangdong to enjoy a peaceful life.”

"But don't forget, you yourself are Liu Miao's chief secretary, a powerful official in charge of a province!"

"If we cannot defeat Yuan Shao by then, you, your lord Liu Miao, and your teacher's daughter Cai Yan will all be killed by Yuan Shao sooner or later."

"Now, you might as well think carefully about whether your current selfish desires are more important, or our great cause!"

Gu Yongming knew that Xiahou Dun was using Liu Miao to blackmail him, but he couldn't find a reason to refute it.

When you can't have your cake and eat it too, it's never easy to make a decision.

Gu Yong wants to bring Cai Yan back as soon as possible, which is perfectly fine.

But what Xiahou Dun said is also correct!
If we can't defeat Yuan Shao, we're all doomed!

Moreover, Xiahou Dun himself came with troops.

If Gu Yong insists on leaving, no one knows whether Xiahou Dun will directly use force to forcibly bring Cai Yan back to Xuchang.

After considering all this, Gu Yong already had his answer.

However, Gu Yong also reached an agreement with Xiahou Dun—

"If my senior sister is tired, or disgusted with these Huns and unwilling to travel with them, then you must not ask for this request!"

"A word is settled!"

The following day, Xiahou Dun and Gu Yong waited together on the south bank.

In fact, after learning last night that Xiahou Dun had led his troops to the north, Liu Qubei had no other thoughts but to hand over the man as soon as possible so that he could happily lead his troops back to the north.

The fangs of the Xiongnu only reach for weak, fat flesh, never for sharp blades.

As for the so-called brave Xiongnu people... they either died in the war with the Han people, or they had already become part of the Northern Xiongnu and were forcibly forced to migrate westward by the Han army, leaving their homeland.

In any case, the Southern Xiongnu who remain here now have absolutely no courage to provoke a powerful opponent.

Both sides first launched their boats to communicate with each other in a courtesy manner.

Liu Qubei wasn't interested in these Han Chinese formalities, but after hearing the words of Xiahou Dun's envoy, his short, thick eyebrows twitched: "The Emperor of the Great Han wants to see me?"

"exactly."

Liu Qubei, now fully aware of the Xiongnu's cunning, immediately tested the envoy: "If I go to Xuchang, will there be any benefit for me?"

The envoy clearly knew something, so he made a guarantee to Liu Qubei on Cao Cao's behalf.

"If the Right Wise King submits, a piece of land can be allocated for the Dugu tribe under his command to recuperate and thrive!"

Liu Qubei immediately smiled.

Clearly, he had tricked the fat behind that sharp blade into revealing it!
……

Gu Yong clearly had no interest in the deal between Cao Cao and the Southern Xiongnu.

He simply craned his neck, waiting for the figure that was supposed to appear on the other side.

at last.

After Xiahou Dun's envoy chatted with Right Wise King Liu Qubei for a quarter of an hour, a small boat swayed and rocked across the river, heading towards the south bank.

The nearby soldiers all looked at the small boat with curiosity.

They also wanted to know what Cai Yan, who was rumored to have been redeemed from the Xiongnu by Liu Miao at a high price, actually looked like!
(End of this chapter)