My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

September.

More than a hundred miles south of Tanhan Mountain.

The autumn wind carries a sense of desolation, blowing across the withered, undulating sea of ​​grass.

Five thousand Jingnan cavalrymen, like a silent and dangerous black dragon, slowly roamed this land that belonged to the traditional sphere of influence of the Xianbei royal court.

For the past month or so, they have been searching for Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, scouring the area where the eastern and central parts of the grasslands meet.

Several small Xianbei tribes were reduced to scorched earth and corpses under the roar of crossbows and the charge of spears, on trumped-up charges such as "suspected of harboring traitors," "obstructing the Han envoys' route," and even "disrespectful glances."

Their cattle and sheep became provisions for the army, and their tents became fuel for starting fires.

The initial excitement and sense of conquest were gradually replaced by a physiological discomfort after several days of only having beef and mutton to eat and lacking vegetables and grains.

Many soldiers began to experience symptoms such as chapped lips, bleeding gums, and constipation. Although morale did not plummet, complaints during marches inevitably increased.

"Second Brother, this can't go on!" Li Cunxiao frowned, patted his firm but somewhat bloated belly, and complained to Xiang Yu.

"We eat mutton every day, at every meal, and it feels like our stomachs are stuffed with wool, we can't even poop! Many of my brothers are like this too, their faces are almost green from eating so much. Did we come here to find someone, or did we come to the grasslands to herd sheep and stuff ourselves?"

Ran Min, standing to the side, coldly interjected, his tone as indifferent as ever: "The food of the barbarians is inherently coarse. As long as it fills their stomachs, there's no need to be picky."

That being said, the slight movement of his Adam's apple as he swallowed revealed that he was not entirely adapted.

Lu Bu, somewhat annoyed, cracked his whip, and his fiery horse snorted. "This grassland is so vast, who knows where those two stray dogs are hiding! We're running around like headless flies, when will this end? I think we should go to a larger tribe and 'ask' again. If we still don't have any definite news, we should go back to Shanggu. Our elder brother told us to train our troops, establish our authority, and find the people. We've done the first two pretty well. Even if we can't find them, we can't let the brothers get worn out here."

Yang Zaixing suggested, "Second Brother, according to the prisoners, not far to the north is Tanhan Mountain, where the Xianbei royal court is located. We have already approached its heartland, and the tribes along the way are all fleeing in terror. Why don't we... go to the royal court and 'ask' them?"

"If even Lian and Lian don't know Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju's whereabouts, or are intentionally protecting them, then we've 'inquired' to the highest level. We can then give an explanation to our elder brother and the imperial court. Besides..."

He glanced at the somewhat dejected soldiers: "The Xianbei royal court may have ample reserves and be able to supplement their diet with some different kinds of food."

Xiang Yu narrowed his double pupils, gazing at the faint outline of the mountains on the northern horizon.

He had long harbored this intention. While sweeping away the outer tribes would be satisfying, the deterrent power and political significance of reaching the royal court were far greater than wiping out a few small tribes.

This would both maximize the deterrence of the Xianbei and fulfill the elder brother's deeper purpose of "testing the new army and gaining military merit," and also provide the most appropriate "interrogation" result if Zhang Chun and the other person could not be found.

Just as he was pondering his decision, a scout on horseback reported: "Report! General, we have confirmed that we are in the territory of Tanhan Mountain! The Xianbei royal camp is located in a mountain valley thirty li away! We have also captured a scout from the outer perimeter of the royal camp, who claims that their leader, Helian, is currently at the royal camp!"

"good!"

A glint flashed in Xiang Yu's eyes, and without further hesitation, he ordered the entire army to raise the banner of "Searching for the Han Envoy" and head straight for the royal court at Tanhan Mountain! Tell the men that there are vegetables at the royal court!

The last half-joking remark, once it spread, actually invigorated the somewhat weary army.

The royal court of Tanhan Mountain was shrouded in a cloud of panic and humiliation.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" He Lian slammed the silver cup in his hand to the ground, splashing the wine onto the centurions kneeling in front of him.

"Queju, Murong... and those old foxes! They made all those nice promises, saying they'd join forces to pressure the Han court, demand the return of Kuitou, and severely punish the Han troops who crossed the border! But what happened? One claimed their tribe's migration was still unsettled, another said they had to guard against the Wuhuan's unrest, and some couldn't even send enough men! Do they even respect me as their superior?!"

He roared, his voice echoing through the empty tent.

Since the destruction of the Kezui tribe and the capture of the chieftain, his efforts to restore his father's authority have been repeatedly thwarted.

The various officials appeared respectful on the surface, but in reality, they each went their own way. The only troops he could directly mobilize were the twenty or thirty thousand soldiers directly under the royal court, and their combat strength and morale were incomparable to those during the time of Tan Shihuai.

Retaliation in the south?

He didn't even dare to think about it, he just hoped the Han army would stop causing trouble.

However, what you fear most is what happens.

For the past two weeks, there has been a constant stream of bad news from panicked fugitives.

A Han cavalry force, disguised as a mission to "search for Han envoys" and equipped with bizarre yet incredibly fierce weaponry, rampaged through the eastern grasslands, plundering small tribes as if they were nothing.

The reason is utterly absurd: to find two Han Chinese traitors who fled into the grasslands!

This is no longer contempt; it is trampling the dignity of the Xianbei and Lian on the ground with horses' hooves!

"My lord! My lord!" A guard scrambled into the tent, his face ashen.

"They're here! That Han army... they're twenty li outside the royal court! They're carrying flags and charging straight at us!"

"What?!" He Lian's body sprang up suddenly, but then he fell back down because his legs were weak. His face was drained of color, and his voice was distorted.

"Twenty miles? They... how did they get here so fast!"

A feeling of resentment towards his deceased father welled up in his heart.

Why was the royal court located at Tanhan Mountain, so close to Han territory? Less than two hundred li away, the Han army's hooves could arrive at any moment!

Panic spread rapidly.

"What to do... what can we do now?" He Lian was at a loss, looking at the equally panicked nobles and generals in the tent.

resistance?

Looking at the soldiers hastily gathering outside, and recalling the legendary ferocity of the Han army that had broken through several tribes, did he have any chance of winning?

Once the war is lost and the royal court is destroyed, his reign as an official will be over.

"My lord..." a seasoned nobleman suggested in a trembling voice.

"The Han army is using the pretext of 'searching,' so perhaps... perhaps they don't necessarily want to fight. Why don't we... go out of the camp to meet them first, find out their intentions? If we can get away with it by offering money and words, we can temporarily ensure the safety of the royal court, and then we can make further plans..."

These words struck a chord with He Lian.

What he wanted most at that moment was to get rid of this group of evil spirits.

"Yes, yes... let's ask first, let's ask first."

Helian, as if grasping at a straw, hurriedly straightened his crooked leather hat and robe, forced out a "dignified" expression that was more like crying, and walked out of the royal camp surrounded by a group of equally composed noble guards.

When he saw the Han army standing ready in the distance, his heart couldn't help but clench violently.

A chilling atmosphere prevailed!

Absolutely chilling!

Five thousand cavalrymen stood silently, their formation as impeccable as an iron wall. There was almost no extra sound except for the occasional snort of their horses and the fluttering of their banners in the wind.

Under the sunlight, the cavalrymen's armor was not the familiar lamellar scales, but rather smooth, beautifully curved thin plates of iron armor, clinging tightly to their bodies and reflecting a cold, hard luster.

At the front of the army formation, five generals stood in a row, looking like gods descending to earth, their imposing presence overwhelming.

He Lian took a deep breath, suppressed his violent heartbeat, and forced out a smile that was as "peaceful" and even slightly "humble" as possible.

He stopped an arrow's throw from the army formation and said loudly in fairly fluent Chinese, "I don't know... I don't know what brings you, my esteemed Han generals, to my Xianbei royal court. I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly."

He tried to adopt a humble stance.

Lu Bu sized him up, raised an eyebrow, and said with undisguised contempt, "You? Someone who has any influence here, come out here! We want to question the person in charge!"

He Lian's face twitched, his anger rising, but he dared not show it at all, and could only continue to smile obsequiously: "General, you are joking. I am He Lian, the current leader of the Xianbei. In this Danhan Mountain royal court, I am probably the only one who can speak for others."

His words conveyed a sense of helplessness and self-deprecation.

Xiang Yu and the others exchanged a glance, slightly surprised.

They never expected that Tan Shihuai's son, the nominal ruler of the Xianbei, would be like this.

But this is good, it saves a lot of trouble.

Xiang Yu stopped wasting words and spoke in a deep voice: "Listen up, Helian Chief! I am Xiang Yu, the General Who Destroys the Barbarians under the command of the Northern General of the Great Han! I have been ordered to go beyond the Great Wall to find and capture the traitors Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju who have defected to the Hu! These two traitors are a major threat to our Great Han. There are clues that they may have fled to the Xianbei and are hiding under the protection of your tribes."

"Our army has searched all the way here, encountering many tribes along the way who obstructed and concealed our activities. We have dealt with them according to the law. Now that we have arrived at the royal court, we have come to inquire of our chieftain: do you know the whereabouts of the two traitors? If you do, hand them over immediately, or point out their location. Perhaps our Han court will remember your assistance and reduce the severity of the Xianbei's repeated border incursions and their harboring of rebellious officials! If you do not know, or if you intend to harbor them..."

He paused for a moment, then said, “Then we will have no choice but to continue our ‘careful search’ near the royal court. Our army has come from afar, and we are exhausted and short of supplies. We need to rest in your esteemed land for a while. We hope that the leader will do us a favor and provide some clean water, fodder, and... well, some fresh vegetables and fruits to give our soldiers a change of pace. After days of travel, we have been eating nothing but meat and are not used to it.”

This sounds polite, but it's no different from a robber demanding money.

Not only do they need your help to catch people, but they also don't care whether you have it or not...

They also want to station troops on your territory, eat and drink your food, and specifically request the vegetables and fruits that are scarce on the grasslands.

He Lian felt his heart bleed when he heard this.

The consumption of five thousand men, especially vegetables and fruits, is a precious resource on the grassland. Most of these are obtained through trade with border markets in Han areas, or through small-scale cultivation by the tribes themselves, so reserves are not much.

This is going to take away a huge number of people; it's like cutting off his flesh!

But would he dare to refuse?

Look at that imposing military formation, look at those fierce-looking generals, and think about the fate of those tribes that were slaughtered.

Could his tens of thousands of terrified soldiers withstand the iron hooves of this ferocious Han army?

Once war breaks out, the royal court will be lost, and he will probably have to go to the underworld to meet his father, Tan Shihuai.

Weighing the pros and cons, the principle of humiliation and survival gained the absolute upper hand.

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and nodded repeatedly: "So...so the General has come to pursue the traitors. This is a righteous act, and I...I should assist him. However...I have not seen Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju with my own eyes, nor have I received any reports from any tribe that they have been taken in. Perhaps...perhaps they have fled to more remote places further north or east? I will immediately send orders to all tribes to investigate thoroughly! I will give the General an explanation!"

He initially declined, but seeing that Xiang Yu's expression remained unchanged, he immediately continued, "General, your army has come a long way and is weary. It is an honor for the Xianbei to rest outside the royal court! I will have the water, grass, vegetables, and fruits you need prepared immediately! I will ensure that the soldiers are satisfied! I only hope... I only hope that you will understand that the majority of my Xianbei tribe has absolutely no disloyalty to the Han Dynasty. All the previous incidents were due to the ignorance of my tribe, or the instigation of traitors like Zhang Chun! I will strictly control them in the future!"

They adopted an extremely humble posture, almost begging the other party to accept the "toll" and leave quickly, so as not to treat the royal court as a training ground.

Seeing that his goal had been largely achieved, Xiang Yu nodded slightly: "In that case, thank you for your trouble, Chief. Our army will set up camp five li east of the royal court. Within three days, all the necessary supplies must be delivered. As for Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, I hope you will expedite the investigation. Our army will return with the results to report back."

"Yes, yes! Xiao Wang understands! Xiao Wang understands!" He nodded vigorously, but his heart was ice-cold.

He understood that the backbone of the Xianbei had been completely bent in his hands by these five thousand Han soldiers in front of all the tribes of the grasslands.

All he could do was try to satisfy the demands of these "bandits," pray that they would leave soon, and rack his brains trying to figure out how to squeeze out the whereabouts of the non-existent "Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju" from the already disunited factions, or... find two scapegoats.

Watching the Han army slowly retreat eastward and begin to set up camp, He Lian stood in the rising autumn wind and felt that the wind was colder and more biting than at any other time in previous years.

The prestige of the royal court will likely be completely destroyed after this incident.

The future of the grasslands seems to have been plunged into an even darker and more uncertain fog by this sudden arrival of iron cavalry.