Chapter 31

In no time, the two of them arrived outside the camp gate. Lu Yao dismounted, handed the reins to a solemn-looking guard, and then strode toward the main tent. Even before he was a few steps away from the tent, he could already hear Liu Kun’s voice. Concerned about being late, Lu Yao hurriedly announced his name and entered.

The faces of the generals in the tent were all somewhat tense, but Liu Kun was stroking his shiny beard and looking up at the sky with a joyful smile.

His voice was loud and resonant, full of infectious energy: "Hahaha, you young man, you’re really daring!"

Standing below was Ding Miao, head held high and chest out. At his feet knelt a bound barbarian with braided hair. The barbarian’s face and head were covered in blood, and even the white fur cloak he wore was stained in many places, making him look utterly wretched.

It turned out that today, Ding Miao had gone out on a scouting mission. He had moved far from his own unit, all the way to the vicinity of Yuci City. On the way, he encountered a group of Xiongnu cavalry crossing the northern source of the Zhang River, heading straight for Wuxiang. Relying on his superior scouting skills, Ding Miao followed them closely and finally found an opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the Xiongnu formation.

Ding Miao, leading only a dozen light cavalry, dared to charge into a Xiongnu army that outnumbered him a hundred to one. It was a bold and reckless act. If anyone else had done it, it would have been tantamount to suicide, but Ding Miao succeeded. The Xiongnu were caught off guard, and Ding Miao managed to kill dozens of them, break through their formation, and even capture a Xiongnu noble. Such bravery and daring were truly worthy of being one of the top heroes under the command of Lord Yuanshi.

Lu Yao couldn’t help but admire him in his heart.

Ding Miao then said that after capturing the Xiongnu, he had galloped back to the main army, evading the pursuing enemy. Along the way, he didn’t bother to question the captive and instead beat him mercilessly, delivering hundreds of punches. The Xiongnu, who initially had some spirit, was now beaten to a pulp and would answer any question.

According to the Xiongnu, the invading force was led by Liu Jing, a Xiongnu general left to guard Jin Yang, with a total of four thousand infantry and cavalry.

It should be noted that although the Xiongnu claimed to have two hundred thousand archers, in reality, excluding the vassal tribes, their total force was about eighty thousand. Most of these had followed the Great Chanyu Liu Yuan south to fight the imperial guards of Luoyang along the Yellow River. Liu Jing’s force was the largest mobile unit left in the Jinzhong Plain after the Xiongnu’s mass southward movement, mainly composed of brave warriors from the Xi and Jie tribes who had joined the Xiongnu. They were usually scattered in several counties along the Fen River.

Due to Liu Kun’s northward advance from Shangdang, gathering refugees along the way, his influence was significant. Liu Jing, responsible for guarding Taiyuan, did not dare to be negligent. He reported to the Great Chanyu Liu Yuan and gathered his troops to resist.

Five thousand enemy troops were not a large number. Over the years, the eight princes of the imperial family had fought in the Central Plains, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops, and battles involving tens of thousands of soldiers were not uncommon. Liu Kun, as the right-hand man of the Prince of Donghai, had led large armies multiple times, and his generals had all commanded thousands of troops. However, now, with a small cavalry force, they had very limited manpower, and facing four thousand Xiongnu was indeed a challenge.

The generals’ expressions became solemn.

"Four thousand troops..." the protector Linghu Sheng mused, "If we add the various barbarian tribes that have been harassing us, the total will probably exceed five thousand."

"Compared to that, our current force is three thousand five hundred, and we have another four thousand refugees who are not fit for battle. We are already at a disadvantage, and those refugees are a burden," the general Han Shu calculated, then looked up at Liu Kun, "Lord..."

Another general, Lu Chang, perhaps thinking that Han Shu was too discouraged, interjected, "Wen Hao, what do you think of the Xiongnu’s combat strength?" He gave Ding Miao a meaningful look.

Unfortunately, Ding Miao was a straightforward person and didn’t understand Lu Chang’s intentions. He pursed his lips, "The Xiongnu are very fierce, and their light cavalry is fast. Hehe... Just now, it was only I, Ding Miao, who could do it. If it were any of you, you might not even return alive."

This remark caused the atmosphere in the tent to become tense.

The Xiongnu, however, seemed to have regained some spirit and shouted, "My brother is the Great General who Conquered Jin, Liu Jing! He is the bravest hero of the Xiongnu, one who can defeat a hundred of you! A thousand of you! You Han dogs, you will only die when you fight us!"

Before he could finish, Ding Miao kicked him in the face. The Xiongnu spat out a dozen teeth and immediately fainted.

"Great General who Conquered Jin? Hero?" Liu Kun sneered, sweeping his sleeve and standing up. He walked a few steps around the table and suddenly pointed, "Lu Yao!"

Lu Yao was taken aback. This was only the second time he had attended a formal military council, and both times he had been called out by Liu Kun. He hurriedly stepped forward, "I am here, my lord."

Liu Kun looked at Lu Yao with a piercing gaze, "This barbarian keeps boasting about the bravery of the enemy general Liu Jing. Tell me, what kind of person is Liu Jing?"

"Understood!" Lu Yao bowed and took a moment to think, then said, "Liu Jing is a key general under the Great Chanyu Liu Yuan, a descendant of the Xiongnu Sibu clan, and holds the position of Right Yulü King. Although he pretends to be of the Liu family, he is undoubtedly a barbarian. He is outwardly fierce but inwardly timid, and his military strategy is hesitant. Our Bingzhou soldiers do not fear him. Moreover, Liu Jing is cruel and bloodthirsty. Last May, he led troops to attack the Sizhou region, capturing over thirty thousand men and women. Because he was angry at their slow progress, he drove all thirty thousand into the Yellow River to drown, and their bodies floated downstream for over a hundred miles. The heavens wept, and it rained for ten days without stopping. This act was inhuman, and even Liu Yuan was furious when he heard about it, immediately stripping Liu Jing of his position and investigating him."

Hearing about Liu Jing’s deeds, the generals were all enraged. Some clenched their fists and asked to fight, while others raised their arms and shouted that they would not be human if they could not kill this beast.

"The Xiongnu are brutal, and the atrocities they have committed are not limited to this one. How pitiful are our Chinese people, suffering such torment. I have been ordered to pacify Bingzhou, and I must eliminate these beasts to bring peace to the people," Liu Kun coughed lightly and stood up, "These ignorant barbarians dare to challenge us, seeking their own death. Tomorrow, all soldiers must fight bravely, defeat the Xiongnu, and repay blood debts with blood!"

Liu Kun’s confident words immediately inspired his subordinates. The generals responded loudly, their voices shaking the tent. Although the army had only been formed for three to five days and the enemy was much larger, the soldiers’ morale was extremely high, and no one feared the enemy.

Half an hour later, Lu Yao returned to his own camp.

Gao Xiang and Shen Jin, two impatient men, rushed forward, "Daoming, what was discussed at the military council? Are we going to fight the Xiongnu?"

"We are going to fight!" Lu Yao nodded heavily, "Moreover, Lord Yuanshi believes that the newly formed units are not yet ready for battle, so they don’t need to join this time. We need to select some elite cavalry and join General Ding Miao’s unit."

The Jin army inherited the system of the Former Wei, with few large-scale cavalry units. Small cavalry units were usually scattered among various units and were only unified and commanded during battles to perform difficult tasks such as reconnaissance, breakthroughs, and pursuits. Those selected were always well-known brave warriors. For example, the elite "Tiger and Leopard Cavalry" of the Former Wei, which intimidated the world, was initially composed of the bravest warriors from the entire army, and later became a permanent unit.

Therefore, Gao and Shen were immediately invigorated, "That’s great!"

As low-ranking officers in Bingzhou, they had fought the Xiongnu for many years and harbored deep blood feuds, so their thoughts were simple: they only wanted to kill the enemy and avenge their grievances.

Lu Yao felt somewhat relieved and nodded, "I and Old Xue will definitely go. One of you must stay to lead the troops. Decide who goes and who stays."

Gao Xiang and Shen Jin looked at each other and couldn’t help but frown.

******

Today’s second update is complete. The first major battle against the Xiongnu is about to begin. I kindly request the readers to continue following and to bookmark the story. Thank you all.

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