Chapter 53

"General Pan, it's up to you! By the way, those few horses are quite good, don't hurt them!" The other side had fewer than ten people, so handing them over to Pan Feng alone would be enough! The others just needed to block the Huns' retreat!

"Ha ha ha ha! Taste the might of Pan Feng's axe!" The long-suppressed frustration of Pan Feng was now released in a torrent. He swung his large axe, fighting back and forth among the Huns. In a short time, he had killed all but one of the Juchu Helu's men, who was left to communicate with the tribe! Even after the slaughter, he still felt unsatisfied, "Lord, should we attack that tribe now?"

After multiple battles and the long journey, these young ruffians from Chang'an had shed their naivety and gradually began to look like soldiers! Under Chen Qingzhi's command, they surrounded the tribe on all sides, threw down the heads of Juchu Helu and his men, and then had Pan Feng lead a group to kill the few young men who dared to resist. The entire tribe thus submitted to the hooves of these Han people!

"We originally just wanted to do some business with you! But your tribe's leader immediately wanted to fight!" Li You had the lucky survivor recount the events, and with a sarcastic smile, he said to the Huns, "Since he chose war, then so be it! Now that you have been defeated by us, according to the rules, everything in your tribe belongs to me!"

"Horses! Grain! Dried meat! Sheepskin! Medicine! Weapons! Wine! Bows and arrows... I want all of these things!" Li You stood tall before the Huns, who trembled and knelt on the ground, listening to Tang Yifu translate Li You's words into the Hun language, "Hand over these things obediently, and perhaps I'll spare your lives! If not, they will be your example!"

Li You pointed to the heads of Juchu Helu and his men! Those who dared to resist had already been killed, and the remaining people, terrified by the fierce Han soldiers, immediately stood up and led them to the stables to select horses, to the warehouses to find sheepskin, dried meat, and other items Li You needed; some even dragged out the fattest lambs from the sheep pens and used their best skills to prepare delicious roasted whole lambs for these Han warriors!

The soldiers, who had been eating dry rations for several days, had their appetites whetted and enjoyed a hearty meal. After eating, they set out again while it was still a few hours before dark!

When they arrived, there were over a hundred people with only twenty or thirty horses, but when they left, each person had at least three horses: one for carrying supplies and two for alternating rides. The speed of their march increased significantly.

Led by Tang Yifu, they bypassed large tribes and extorted food and supplies from smaller ones. The news of the Han army's intrusion into their territory soon reached the Xiongnu King of Xiutu in Guzang City!

Guzang Mountain was the living and grazing place of the Xirong, Yuezhi, and Huns. After the old chanyu defeated the Yuezhi and drove them out of the Hexi Corridor, the King of Xiutu built a city at the foot of Guzang Mountain to control the Hexi Corridor! The arrival of the Han army surprised him, and after a moment's thought, he guessed that this group was probably the Han envoy that Zhong Xingshuo had mentioned!

Although he didn't take this group of over a hundred people very seriously, the King of Xiutu still sent his trusted men to search the territory!

However, in such a vast and sparsely populated area, finding a group of only a hundred people was no easy task. It was like trying to find a German submarine in the Atlantic with an Allied fleet! Unless they had extremely good luck, it was almost impossible to find them.

After several days of searching, the Huns' cavalry returned empty-handed. However, since there were no more reports of the Han army attacking any tribes, the King of Xiutu put the matter aside. He guessed that the Han people had already entered the territory of the King of Kunye, so he left the problem to the King of Kunye to solve!

Li You's Han envoy galloped into the territory of the King of Kunye, while Zhong Xingshuo's elite Huns had just crossed the Wushaoling Pass! Their preparations were much more haphazard compared to the Han envoy, and they were unwilling to abandon their horses and supplies, so their speed was much slower, and their losses were much greater!

Just crossing this large snow mountain, dozens of elite Huns fell to their deaths from the cliffs! If you include those who were frostbitten or injured, the number was even higher! After finally crossing the mountain, the scene before them disappointed Zhong Xingshuo even more. The vast, flat land stretched as far as the eye could see. Which direction should he go to chase the Han envoy?

"We will go to Guzang City!" Zhong Xingshuo said with a dark face. He knew they were already too late and had missed the best opportunity to chase the Han envoy! Now, their only hope was to rely on the local king, the King of Xiutu!

Not long after, they arrived at the territory of the Juchu tribe. Tired and hungry, they extorted and looted again, causing the Juchu tribe to suffer huge losses. It was uncertain whether they could survive the winter! Perhaps the story of Juchu Mengxun founding the Northern Liang Kingdom would not happen in this world?

"It has been so long!" Zhong Xingshuo frowned. He had already learned from the Juchu tribe about the Han envoy's movements! However, the speed at which they crossed the Yellow River and the Wushaoling Pass was beyond his expectations!

"Three horses per person, they must have already left the King of Xiutu's territory!" Xubu Mo quickly made a judgment. Given the capabilities of the Han envoy, it was not difficult for them to evade the King of Xiutu's pursuit in such a vast grassland, especially since the King of Xiutu might not even put much effort into intercepting them.

"Send another message to the King of Kunye, urging him to send a large force to intercept them! We won't go to Guzang City, we will go directly to the King of Kunye!" One step late, and everything is late. They had missed the best opportunity to intercept the enemy in the valley! They had narrowly missed them by the Yellow River, and now it was even harder to stop them!

But precisely because of this, Zhong Xingshuo felt even more determined to stop them. If they really reached the Yuezhi, who knew what kind of chaos they would cause.

"Call the eagle messenger, I need to write a letter to the King of Kunye! Xubu Mo, go gather horses! We will set out after we finish eating!" Zhong Xingshuo was now more anxious than any genuine Huns!

A short while later, the eagle flew into the sky, heading west toward the territory of the King of Kunye, while Zhong Xingshuo and his men remounted and prepared to set out again. Li You's Han envoy was about to face a new round of attacks!

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