Chapter 33

"Where has the Han Dynasty envoy reached?" Zhong Xingshuo stood on the mountaintop, gazing in the direction of Chang'an. Although he was still wearing Han clothing, he had already considered himself part of the Xiongnu. It was clear that he had not only lost his dignity but also his principles!

"The scouts who went to gather information have just returned!" Yingbi, the leader of the cavalry, stepped forward and said, "The Han Dynasty envoy has already reached the mountain pass ahead."

"Bring him to see me!" Zhong Xingshuo said coldly. He had easily annihilated several previous envoys, and he doubted this one would be any different.

A sturdy, bewildered Xiongnu cavalryman was brought forward, standing there dumbfounded, unsure of how to address Zhong Xingshuo. Zhong Xingshuo raised his chin and asked condescendingly, "How many people are in the Han Dynasty envoy? How many horses do they have? How many soldiers are in the envoy?"

The Xiongnu scout took a long time to understand what Zhong Xingshuo was asking. After counting on his fingers for a while, he finally replied, "I saw that this envoy seems to have more people than the last one we intercepted, but fewer than the one before that! They have quite a few horses, probably about the same as those over there!" He pointed to the horses drinking by the river.

Poor Zhong Xingshuo, with his vast knowledge, could have become a high-ranking official like Zhao Gao if he had stayed in the Han Dynasty! Unfortunately, fate had been unkind, and he had ended up among these barbarians who couldn't even count! He thought again about how Emperor Wen of Han had forced him to accompany the Xiongnu, and his hatred for the incoming envoy grew even more.

"The last envoy had 107 people, and the one before that had 139! So this envoy probably has around 110 to 120 people!" Zhong Xingshuo quickly deduced the number of people in Li You's envoy from the scout's report. He roughly counted and had a good grasp of the number of horses. "Hehe, the Han Emperor is sending you wealth and slaves again!"

"This is all thanks to the protection of the Kunlun deity and your wisdom, Great King! It is because of you that we have so easily gained so much wealth, horses, and captives! The tribe will have a better winter this year!" Yingbi said sincerely. Without Zhong Xingshuo, they would not have been able to analyze the Han Dynasty envoy's route and wait for them on their inevitable path. They might have either attacked the Han border or wandered around hoping to encounter an envoy. In either case, they would not have gained as much as they did now.

The title "Great King" was bestowed upon Zhong Xingshuo by the Chanyu Laoshang. The title of king was highly respected within the Xiongnu, and Zhong Xingshuo's acquisition of this title showed the Chanyu's trust in him. He did not betray this trust, helping the Xiongnu establish a rudimentary system, teaching them counting methods, and organizing the inventory of supplies. This greatly strengthened the Xiongnu's power, and he continuously devised strategies to extort wealth from the Han Dynasty. Even after Laoshang's death and the ascension of Junchen as Chanyu, Zhong Xingshuo's position within the Xiongnu remained secure. However, in his heart, he still preferred to be a marquis in the Han Dynasty rather than a king among the Xiongnu. But now, he could no longer return to that prosperous nation, so he was determined to destroy it.

"This is the last Han Dynasty envoy! Kill them, and we can return to the royal court! The Great Chanyu will surely reward you generously!" After several envoys had been completely wiped out, the Han people who desired wealth would surely reconsider the risks. Moreover, Zhong Xingshuo had not received any news from Chang'an about a new envoy being dispatched.

"Are the Han people's formations well-organized? Who is leading them?" Although their current strength far exceeded that of the Han Dynasty envoy, Zhong Xingshuo did not overlook any details and continued to ask.

"The formation of this Han envoy is not much different from the previous ones! As for the leader?" The scout scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then suddenly remembered something amusing. He grinned widely, "The leader seems to be a young man in a white robe, thin and weak, looking just like the Han officials who delivered messages to the Great Chanyu at the royal court! He doesn't look like someone who can fight at all! He can't even sit steadily on his horse; if it weren't for the quick hands of those around him, he would have fallen off several times!" In his view, someone who couldn't even ride a horse well couldn't possibly be a fighter.

"Heh! I thought the last battle would be interesting, but it looks like it will be another easy victory!" Zhong Xingshuo turned around, hands behind his back, and gazed in the direction of Chang'an, "Go and select some horses from the last capture as a reward for you!"

"Thank you, Great King!" The scout beamed with joy and happily went to claim his reward, leaving Zhong Xingshuo alone, gazing at Chang'an in silence.

The next day, Zhong Xingshuo ordered Yingbi to set up an ambush early, waiting for the Han Dynasty envoy to arrive. However, what puzzled them was that the enemy never appeared.

"Are they moving too slowly? In our great Xiongnu, the leader would have been beheaded by the Great Chanyu long ago!" Yingbi, unable to wait any longer, began to complain. Several scouts returned, but none of them had any news of the enemy's arrival.

Seeing the sun starting to tilt towards the west, Zhong Xingshuo thought they probably wouldn't see the Han Dynasty envoy today and ordered, "Continue sending scouts to gather information about the Han envoy, and the rest prepare for a meal!"

Waiting in vain for half a day was not a pleasant experience. Upon hearing that they could finally eat, the Xiongnu cavalrymen came out of their hiding places, taking dried meat and cheese from their horses to eat and drink.

Some even lit campfires and roasted animals, the smell attracting more Xiongnu cavalrymen to gather around. The entire formation of the Xiongnu cavalry became disorganized.

"The Han envoy is here!" Just as the meat was almost ready, two scouts rushed back to report.

"Mount up! Prepare to engage the enemy!" Yingbi shouted, trying to reorganize the formation, but with so many people crowded in a small area, it was not easy to do so quickly.

Seeing the dust raised by the Han envoy's horsemen in the distance, Yingbi didn't think much about it. With ten times the number of the enemy, he decided to charge directly.

"Kunlun deity, protect us! Follow me to engage the enemy!" Yingbi roared and charged forward, followed by a chaotic crowd of his men.

The situation was not looking good! Seeing the disorganized formation, Zhong Xingshuo frowned, but what he didn't expect was that the Han envoy would scatter and flee in disarray as soon as they made contact!