Chapter 439: Building momentum, what a Meng Tian
Maodun and the surrounding Huns heard the sound and looked over, and the person their attention was focused on was actually a person from the Central Plains.
He was seven feet tall, half a head shorter than the Hun prince when he sat on his horse. He held the reins tightly with both hands, fearing that he would fall off the horse, and he stood out in the team composed entirely of Huns.
"Mao Dun's fate is in the hands of Mr. Ye!"
The Hun prince held the scimitar and nodded slightly. His bloodstained face was still ferocious, but mixed with a hint of hope.
Mr. Ye had been with him for less than a year. When he came, he was just a poor man from the Central Plains, wearing common clothes.
He said that the Central Plains was corrupt and only cared about one's birth. He had great abilities but could not become an official.
A real man cannot eat from five tripods in his life and will never be happy, so he came to the land of the Huns to show his skills.
During this year, the greatest help Mr. Ye provided to Maodun was to help him win over the princes of other large tribes among the Xiongnu.
Maodun had more Xiongnu princes around him than Touman had tribal leaders around him. This move made Maodun's potential power far greater than that of his brothers, and he completely secured his position as the successor prince.
"I will live up to the prince's high expectations!"
The man from Central Plains looked a little pale but had a determined look on his face.
Maodun, who had been confirmed as the next Chanyu, nodded, raised his head and roared.
"Make way for Mr. Ye!"
No one knew how these Hun cavalry were controlled. Although they had no saddles or stirrups, the horses' speed was not inferior to that of the Taotie army, and they made way for them in a matter of seconds.
The man from the Central Plains rode his horse out along this road, holding the reins tightly with both hands. His riding movements were extremely stiff, and it was obvious at a glance that his horsemanship was extremely poor.
"Prince, people from the Central Plains cannot be trusted!"
Jin Weng, the prince of the Tuge tribe, who grew up with the prince, said in a deep voice.
"Yes, I think he just wants to live alone! He is from the Central Plains, the Qin people may not necessarily kill him!"
There was murderous intent in the eyes of the prince of the Xiutu tribe.
"I shot him dead with one arrow!"
The prince of the Dugu tribe picked up his longbow and held an arrow in his hand.
As long as Maodun gave the order, he could kill this cunning Central Plains man with one arrow!
His horsemanship was so poor that he had to hold the reins with both hands. He didn't need a second arrow for a target like this.
"Don't talk nonsense! Mr. Ye has helped me a lot, and he won't let me down this time!"
Maodun emphasized and stretched out his hand to block.
But as he looked at the Central Plains man in front of him who seemed like he would fall off his horse at any moment, there was deep suspicion in his eyes, and he also deeply doubted Mr. Ye's motives.
Just as the prince of Xiutu tribe said, if Mr. Ye stayed, he would surely die, but if he escaped, he would most likely survive. The Qin people should always show more mercy to the people from the Central Plains, right?
He admitted that Mr. Ye was very capable, but still did not think he could convince the leader of the Qin army.
The Qin people's attitude towards the Huns was the same as the Huns' attitude towards the Qin people - kill them all.
This was the evil cause planted by the Xiongnu when they attacked Yanmen and Jiuyuan the year before. Meng Tian drove the Xiongnu over 700 miles, leaving no one alive, and brought back the evil consequences.
Maodun asked himself, if they were in different places, and he led the Hun army to surround the 3,000 Qin troops, he would definitely not let any of them escape.
Letting Mr. Ye go is just the last resort.
Who wants to die when you can live?
Maodun wiped the blood off his scimitar on the horse's mane, adjusted his breathing, and was ready to charge at any time.
"I am the envoy of Prince Maodun! I am an old friend of Lord Chang'an!"
The people from the Central Plains approached the Taotie army while shouting.
The Taotie soldiers did not react when they heard this, but Wei Zhuang, the lieutenant general of the rear army who was facing the Central Plains people, frowned.
This is a very problematic statement.
The Taotie army had been in the desert for three days and this was the first time they encountered the Xiongnu cavalry. How did the visitors know that the one leading the army was Chang'an Jun?
Even if a scout had seen 50,000 Taotie troops from afar and reported back, the Huns would at most know that a 50,000-strong Qin army had entered the desert, and it was impossible for them to know the leader of the Taotie army.
"Sinister and treacherous."
The old man muttered to himself, thinking about the Liuli Rebellion of the Six Kingdoms that he had heard last year, his eyes narrowed slightly, like a jackal in the desert.
Chang'an Jun really didn't come here to enjoy the spring. This game was set up so secretly that no one could tell...
“Let him go!”
At the command of the old left prime minister in armor, the rear army moved like a tide, leaving a gap.
The people from the Central Plains bent their bodies to keep their balance and flowed into the gap like small drops of water falling into a large lake.
The Taotie army began to move again, closing the gap.
Water drops into the lake, leaving no ripples.
After entering the Taotie army, the war horses began to trot and then walk slowly. The Taotie army formation was tight and could not support the war horses' galloping.
The people from the Central Plains were finally able to sit up straight, still holding the reins with both hands, and walked through the Taotie army.
He stared at the armor on the Taotie soldiers, the saddles on the cavalrymen, and the stirrups on both sides of the horses. He didn't take his eyes off them until he passed by the general of the rear army.
Did the Qin army defeat the Huns by relying on these weapons?
Good... great good!
As the person got closer, his appearance became clearer and clearer in Wei Zhuang's eyes.
The old man squinted his eyes, and when he could see the face of the person coming, his body suddenly shook! If there was no saddle under his buttocks instead of a horse's back, he would have fallen off the horse.
color!
This old man's trip has finally come!
Xianyang was defeated by Chang'an Jun, and now I have no regrets!
The old man was thinking, his hands holding the reins shaking uncontrollably.
He took the initiative to make way for the Hun envoy to pass by him and go to find the Taotie leader Chang'an Jun.
When the two men met, the old man couldn't help himself after all, and blocked them with his arms. Under the pretext of checking if the man was armed, he moved closer and whispered:
"Marquis Zongheng's demeanor is even better than when he was in the court."
The visitor looked up in surprise, and when he saw Wei Zhuang's appearance, a hint of joy flashed across his eyes.
In such a deep desert, it is a happy thing to meet someone you are familiar with, even if he was once a political enemy.
He smiled slightly, and said in a voice that only Wei Zhuang and himself could hear:
"The left prime minister is so old and weak that I dare not recognize him."
Wei Zhuang's breathing is a little rapid. You are so weak that you can't speak properly, right?
Dun Ruo passed through the black armored jungle and entered a simple tent, and finally saw the bright silver light.
Immediately, his eyebrows and eyes were raised, anger rose in his heart, and evil words came out of his mouth.
He walked quickly, pointing at Ying Chengjiao and cursing as he walked.
"You brat! What are you doing here so early? It's not even the time we agreed on! You are ruining the country! You can't help me with the big plan! Even King Zhou of Shang and King Jie of Xia were not as foolish and short-sighted as you..."
In just a dozen breaths, Dun Ruo had cursed dozens of times, each one different. He used folk slang, quotations from classics, and took his cursing to a new level.
Ying Chengjiao dared not speak.
He considered himself to be very good at debate and that he could stand on the shoulders of many great men in history, even Han Fei, Xunzi and Guiguzi.
But facing the seven-foot rough man in front of him, who was wearing greasy animal skin of the Huns, smelled like cattle and sheep, and had traces of wind and sand on his hands and face, he had to admit defeat.
The Qin Empire was weakened.
The last diplomat in the world appointed by Emperor Qin Shi Huang himself.
Throughout his life, he was never inferior to others in debates, and the famous scholar Yao Jia praised him as speechless .
After Dun Ruo finished scolding him, he sat down on the ground in anger. Ying Chengjiao then smiled and said:
"Are you tired?"
He held a bottle of water and walked up to Dun Ruo.
"How about you drink some water and curse for a while longer?"
Gulp gulp~!
Dun Ruo drank it all in one gulp, touched his mouth with his greasy woolen sweater, and glanced at Ying Chengjiao.
"Why not drink?"
"If you don't want to go back, I'll get you some wine."
Dun Ruo snorted coldly.
"You have some sense, boy."
How could a group of messengers representing lambs to be slaughtered get wine given by the butcher?
"Why did you suddenly come to besiege Maodun? The Xiongnu have not yet fallen into civil strife. You personally led the army deep into the desert. Are you relying on the advantage of military equipment? If so, it is simply stupid! You are a lone army! The more you fight, the fewer you will get!"
Ying Chengjiao was silent for a moment.
"I have my own ideas."
The Dun Ruo that had just been extinguished was ignited again and became furious!
"What are you thinking? You want to attack the desert in autumn. What are you thinking? You surrounded Maodun and didn't let him go to Yuezhi as a hostage. You can't let Touman Chanyu kill his son with a knife! You are just a fool..."
Dun Ruo was furious.
He joined the Xiongnu very early and gained a foothold beside Maodun, the son of Touman.
The two's original plan was:
Dun Ruo assisted Maodun in winning over the princes of various tribes and securing the position of the next Chanyu.
Touman favored a woman named Yanshi and wanted to make her son the next Chanyu. When he sent Maodun to the Yuezhi as a hostage, Dunruo found princes from other tribes to go with him.
Later, Touman attacked the Yuezhi and borrowed the Yuezhi's knife to kill his son. Prince Maodun was extremely brave and stole a horse to escape.
After returning to the Xiongnu, Maodun shot his father to death and became the new Chanyu. While integrating the Xiongnu, the Taotie army took advantage of the opportunity and attacked the Langjuxu Mountain in one breath, occupying all the Xiongnu territory.
Dun Ruo scoffed at the plan at first.
Touman, who unified the Xiongnu, was a man of great talent and strategy, and became the first Chanyu. Would he want to put his most outstanding son to death for the sake of a Yanshi? Or borrow the knife of the Yuezhi Kingdom? Don't even dream of doing this?
This is like the First Emperor favoring a concubine, and in order to make the concubine's son the crown prince, he wanted the eldest son Ying Fusu to die. How could such a thing happen?
What's even more outrageous is that Maodun, who was so carefully designed by Touman Chanyu, who held great power and had a large number of soldiers under his command , was able to escape from the Yuezhi Kingdom and shoot his own father to death to become the new Chanyu. Isn't this absurd?
It’s like the First Emperor wanted to kill the eldest prince but failed, and the eldest prince ran back to Xianyang and killed him instead. How is that possible!
If Ying Chengjiao had not saved his life, Dun Ruo would never have come to the desert in the first place.
After coming to the desert, he stayed with Maodun for a while and saw with his own eyes that Chanyu Tuoman favored a woman named Yanshi and showed her the utmost favor.
When no one was around in the middle of the night, Zongheng Hou tossed and turned.
I just can’t understand how Ying Chengjiao knew what would happen to the Huns when they were thousands of miles apart. Was it a coincidence?
Then the Xiongnu and the Yuezhi went to war, and Chanyu Touman took the initiative to call a halt. To show his sincerity, he sent Prince Maodun to the Yuezhi as a hostage. Dunruo was sure that this was not a coincidence.
He felt like he had seen a ghost and suspected that Toumandan was a retainer of Chang'an Jun and obeyed Chang'an Jun's orders. Otherwise, how could he explain that his actions were the same as Chang'an Jun's predictions half a year ago?
At the same time, ambitions and aspirations begin to develop!
Since everything is going according to what Chang'an Jun said, then the subsequent shooting of his father will also come true, right? The Xiongnu, who have been harassing the Central Plains and causing no peace, will be annexed by the Qin State in his weak hands!
Everything was going according to plan. He told the princes of various tribes the news that Maodun was going to the Yuezhi Kingdom. The princes who were impressed by Maodun spontaneously went with him, and the originally planned 500 people became 3,000.
Dun Ruo was looking forward to the death of these princes at the hands of the Yuezhi. Civil strife broke out in the Xiongnu, and Maodun fled back and killed his father-in-law Touman, and the chaos reached a new height.
As long as they wait until the beginning of next spring, the Qin Empire will be able to easily eradicate the Huns.
At this time, he received a message from Ying Chengjiao, asking him to provide information about Maodun's whereabouts.
Having witnessed Ying Chengjiao's series of amazing predictions, Dun Ruo was very convinced and gave them out easily - then the 50,000 Taotie troops forced the 3,000 Xiongnu cavalry to stop.
If he had known this would be the case, Dun Ruo would never have given it to him!
"You bastard, you bastard! You can't even wait for months! You can't even see the spring day!"
"Can't wait."
Ying Chengjiao shook his head.
"I came up with something better."
Dun Ruo, who was still angry, paused for breath after hearing this and said suspiciously:
"Better?"
We will be able to conquer the Huns and occupy all of their land by the beginning of next spring. Is there any better result than this?
Dun Ruo didn't believe it, but considering that he had been with Maodun for a year and Ying Chengjiao had predicted everything that happened to the Xiongnu, Dun Ruo decided to listen to what Ying Chengjiao had to say.
"Yes, according to your and my thoughts"
"Don't flatter the weak. This plan is all yours and has nothing to do with the weak."
Dun Ruo immediately distanced himself from the matter.
You bastard! Don't even think about shutting me up! If the strategy you mentioned is full of loopholes, I will still scold you!
Ying Chengjiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Okay, then according to my idea, Qin will take over the Xiongnu land in the spring of next year. Under the noses of Yuezhi and Donghu, it is difficult to guarantee safety by moving people from the Central Plains and building cities. It also consumes a lot of manpower and material resources."
He nodded weakly, but his eyes showed that this was all nonsense and just excuses!
This was originally the only way for the Central Plains to expand outward. For thousands of years, all the countries along the border of the Central Plains had done so. This was how the Qin State destroyed Yiqiu and the Zhao State occupied Donghu.
"Rather than seeking far away, it is better to use local resources. Why can't the Xiongnu be used by me? This is what I said to Jiang Lu a long time ago, but he didn't listen. Not only him, judging from the attitude of Qin generals towards the Xiongnu, I am sure that if Qin occupies the Xiongnu land, not a single Xiongnu will stay."
Dun Ruo sneered.
"What are you talking about? Do you know how much hatred the Xiongnu have for the Qin people? In every battle, Meng Tian spared no one alive, no matter the old, the women, or the children, and slaughtered at least 100,000 Xiongnu. With such blood feuds, do you still want to use the Xiongnu for your benefit?"
"Why not? Meng Tian was called the greatest warrior of Qin by the Xiongnu. The Hu people outside the Great Wall admire the strong, which is different from the Central Plains."
Dun Ruo spat.
"Bah! Meng Tian has several titles in the Xiongnu, such as the Butcher, the Devil, the Vulture with Black Wings... The title of the First Warrior was given by a group of stupid teenagers. It is not widely known in the Xiongnu. I don't know why it spread in the Qin State. Mu Qiang is like recognizing a thief as his father. What a joke!"
Ying Chengjiao touched his chin.
It’s interesting. I don’t believe that it could have spread so widely in the border counties without Meng Tian’s guidance.
Creating momentum, what a great Meng Tian.
