Chapter 40

Just a few dozen miles away from the Han Dynasty envoy group, hundreds of Xiongnu cavalry surrounded this small Qiang tribe. The tribe's leader, Dianliang, trembled under the encirclement of the Xiongnu cavalry.

In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu were powerful. Modu Chanyu had "defeated the Donghu, driven away the Yuezhi, and his might shook all the barbarians, subjugating the various Qiang tribes!" To cut off the Han Dynasty's route to the Western Regions and attack Guanzhong from both sides, the Xiongnu intimidated and lured the Qiang tribe leaders. Therefore, Dianliang recognized that the elite forces of the Xiongnu royal court were now surrounding them.

"May I ask what service the noble one requires from our humble tribe? We dare not refuse!" Dianliang bent deeply, not daring to look at Zhong Xingshuo's face. However, he did not understand why the elite forces of the Xiongnu royal court would follow the orders of this Han person.

Zhong Xingshuo, disdainful of dealing with this small tribe's leader, sat on his horse and watched the Xiongnu cavalry search every corner of the tribe, gathering all the boats and setting them on fire.

The Qiang people did not have a unified leader. They usually lived in scattered tribes, with powerful tribe leaders controlling nearby tribes, while weaker tribes relied on others. The habit of obeying the strong was deeply ingrained in the bones of small tribe leaders like Dianliang. His tribe had to rely on a larger Qiang tribe nearby, and the leaders of those larger tribes would kneel before the Xiongnu's Kunye King, not daring to raise their heads! Therefore, although he was extremely reluctant to see his tribe's property burned, he did not dare to utter a single word of protest.

"Great King! All the boats of this tribe have been burned! I just went to check, and the next tribe is thirty miles to the south!" It didn't take long for the small tribe to be thoroughly searched.

"Hmm, there are no other ferry points after leaving the canyon. We have already burned the boats of two tribes! We will investigate another hundred miles to the south and then return to join Xubu Mo! We will surely intercept the Han Dynasty envoy group at the Yellow River!" Zhong Xingshuo did not know that Li You's envoy group was to the north, only a few dozen miles away.

"Yes, Great King!" The Xiongnu cavalryman saluted by touching his chest.

"Are you the leader of this tribe?" Only then did Zhong Xingshuo bother to deal with Dianliang. He glanced down at this man wrapped in tattered sheepskin, then quickly turned his gaze southward.

"I dare not trouble the noble one to ask. The humble person before you is indeed the leader of this tribe, and also a humble servant of the great Xiongnu!" Dianliang prostrated himself, answering respectfully.

"We are here to intercept the Han Dynasty envoy group. If you see any Han people, immediately send someone to report to us! If there is any delay, the great Xiongnu will surely exterminate your entire tribe!" Zhong Xingshuo spoke in a gentle and amiable tone, but each word he uttered felt like a death sentence to Dianliang, scaring him so much that he dared not even breathe loudly.

"I will strictly follow the noble one's orders! If I discover any Han people, Dianliang will personally report to you, noble one!" Dianliang answered tremblingly, slightly relieved upon hearing this.

"Hmm, now have your people prepare wine and meat for the brave warriors of the great Xiongnu!" Seeing that this person was still respectful, Zhong Xingshuo instructed.

Dianliang did not dare to delay. After bowing repeatedly, he quickly got up and ran to arrange for people to slaughter sheep and cattle. Soon, the smell of roasting meat spread throughout the tribe! To curry favor with the noble ones of the great Xiongnu, Dianliang also found young girls from the tribe to perform songs and dances for them. These Xiongnu cavalrymen had been away from the royal court for many days and were already pent up. After a few bowls of wine, they eagerly pulled these girls into the tents!

Dianliang not only did not dare to stop them, but also smiled and repeatedly added wine and meat for them! Even if there were brave men in the tribe who gritted their teeth, they could only endure seeing so many Xiongnu.

The tribe was filled with the unrestrained laughter of the Xiongnu cavalry, while the Qiang people could only endure their sobs and smile, praying that these fierce men would spare them after being satisfied. Outside the tribe, the boats of various sizes piled up burned with a crackling sound, the black smoke from the burning wet wood rising straight into the sky.

This black smoke also caught the eye of the Han Dynasty envoy group. Tang Yifu looked in the direction Chen Qingzhi pointed, frowning, "I remember there is a small Qiang tribe there, and the tribe has a few boats left by the Han people in the past. It seems the Xiongnu cavalry has already arrived first!"

"Envoy, I will take a few quick-witted soldiers to investigate! I will return and report later!" Tang Yifu seemed a bit anxious. That Qiang tribe was the nearest place to find boats. If the black smoke was the result of the Xiongnu cavalry burning the boats, they would have to walk dozens of miles upstream or downstream to find another place!

Moreover, the Xiongnu cavalry was so close that if they discovered them, there would surely be a fierce battle. Therefore, someone had to go and investigate their movements first.

"Thank you, Deputy Envoy!" Only Tang Yifu knew the way, so the task of investigating the enemy fell on him. Li You could not help but give some instructions, "Be extremely careful on this mission. It's better to return with nothing than to fall into the hands of the Xiongnu!"

"I understand, sir!" Tang Yifu was slightly moved, bowed, and led a few quick-witted Han cavalrymen toward the place where the black smoke was rising.

The others, under Li You's command, began to rest. To avoid being discovered by the Xiongnu cavalry, they could not start a fire to cook. They silently dismounted and sat by the roadside, dividing into several groups. Some began to eat dry rations to regain their strength, some were busy feeding the horses, and others, under Chen Qingzhi's arrangement, occupied several places with a wide view, vigilantly observing the surroundings to prevent any sudden enemy attacks.

By night, Tang Yifu hurried back, "Report to the Envoy, the Xiongnu cavalry is indeed burning the boats ahead. I captured a Qiang tribesman and have already interrogated him! It was Zhong Xingshuo who led the Xiongnu cavalry to burn their boats and ordered the Qiang people to report to them if they discovered our presence!"

"Oh? Is Zhong Xingshuo still in the tribe? Are there any other places nearby where we can cross the river?" Li You asked urgently.

"Zhong Xingshuo has already led his men south! There is another Qiang tribe not far to the south! As for crossing the river!" Tang Yifu shook his head, "There were originally a few tribes to the north, but according to the Qiang tribesman, the Xiongnu split into two groups, with another group responsible for burning the boats of the northern tribes. We probably won't catch up with them!"

Li You was silent. If they stayed here, they would eventually be discovered by Zhong Xingshuo. Without boats, how could they cross the Yellow River? Although this was just the source of the Yellow River, far from the wide expanse of the lower reaches, it was still not something that could be crossed by human effort alone! Was there really no way out now?