Chapter 78

Since ancient times, those who bully the weak must also flatter the powerful, and Diao Qunan was no exception. The fierce expression on Diao Qunan's face instantly turned into a fawning smile, and he made great efforts to adjust his ugly appearance, putting on a respectful and cautious demeanor.

"General... no, Your Majesty is right! I have sinned! I was wrong!" He bowed deeply, repeating himself. At the same time, his mind raced, considering whether he should kiss the young man's boots to show his submission.

The young man didn't even glance at Diao Qunan; he only stared at the distant battlefield of Jieyou, where countless warriors, like ants, were locked in a deadly struggle, with banners waving and the cries of battle shaking the heavens. After a long moment, he casually waved his hand and said, "It's good that you know your mistake. There's nothing for you here, so scram."

"Yes, yes, I'll take my leave..." Diao Qunan bowed and backed away, only mounting his horse and riding off when he was dozens of yards away.

"Do any of you have a leader?" The young man, completely ignoring Diao Qunan, turned to the surrounding soldiers and asked.

Li Jingzhi, who was covered in dust, had already been helped up by several soldiers, who were brushing the dirt off his armor. He stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "General Li Jingzhi, I pay my respects to Your Majesty. Thank you for your rescue."

Li Jingzhi naturally didn't recognize this noble. However, after several years in the Xiongnu army, he had some experience. Not to mention the young man's luxurious clothing, the riders behind him all had fierce expressions. Among them were four towering, muscular men with grim faces and eyes like lightning, clearly capable of fighting a hundred men... Anyone who could have such followers must be a famous Xiongnu king!

Moreover, how brutal and violent was Diao Qunan? Yet, in front of this noble, he was so submissive. This person's status was not just noble but indescribably exalted. In front of such a Xiongnu grand noble, he, a Han officer, had to be cautious and flattering. Fortunately, he had just stopped Diao Qunan's violent behavior, which seemed to indicate that this person was reasonable.

Li Jingzhi racked his brain, but among the Xiongnu grand nobles he knew, none matched the appearance of this young man. However, he had heard that the Great Chanyu Liu Yuan, besides his two sons, Liu He and Liu Cong, who were like his right arms, also had three other sons: Liu Yu, Liu Long, and Liu Yi. Among them, Liu Yi was the most favored, and his age matched that of this young man...

The Xiongnu youth, however, didn't think about Li Jingzhi's calculations. Seeing this bruised and swollen man claim to be a brave general, his facial muscles twitched, and he looked Li Jingzhi up and down. "You're actually a general? A brave general? Are you sure you're a brave general?"

The disdainful look in his eyes almost directly said: You, a weakling, are fit to lead troops?

Li Jingzhi could only remain silent. He had studied military books and honed his martial arts since childhood, believing himself capable of achieving great things. How could he be someone who would willingly endure humiliation? Unfortunately, fate had played a cruel trick on him, making him a soldier in the Xiongnu Han state. In the Xiongnu Han state, almost no one truly took the Han who had surrendered seriously. The Xiongnu only trusted their own people, treating the Han as livestock to be slaughtered. Even as a high-ranking officer like a general, he couldn't change his fate and had no choice but to endure.

What else could he do? Li Ling's surrender to the Xiongnu was also out of necessity, and who had ever given him a chance to turn back?

Seeing Li Jingzhi's silence, the Xiongnu youth seemed somewhat bored. He raised his riding crop and pointed in the direction of Jieyou, saying, "I want to go there and take a look. You lead the way!"

Li Jingzhi bowed and said, "Yes! Your Majesty, please follow me." He waved to his subordinates to continue digging, then led the Xiongnu youth and his retinue of cavalry toward Jieyou.

According to the Xiongnu's plan, a long encirclement, two trenches, and several large camps were to be built around Jieyou. At the moment, a considerable number of soldiers were busy at various sites, but their efficiency was not high.

The Xiongnu youth suddenly spurred his horse to ride alongside Li Jingzhi, frowning and asking, "Why are you all such useless things?"

Li Jingzhi smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know, but after several days of continuous attacks, due to the enemy general Lu Chang's effective defense, our army has suffered significant losses. Therefore, General Huyan ordered the construction of camps for a long-term strategy."

The Xiongnu youth rode slowly, nodding thoughtfully, then turned to discuss the battle situation of the past few days, asking detailed questions about various related matters. Most of the Xiongnu nobles Li Jingzhi had encountered were crude and unrefined, and few were as meticulous and fluent in Chinese as this young man. He didn't dare to be negligent and answered each question with great effort.

Li Jingzhi, after all, was a real general, and many people along the way recognized him. Except for violent men like Diao Qunan, the soldiers generally respected him. Seeing him carefully conversing with the Xiongnu noble, followed by a dozen well-armed cavalry, no one dared to disturb them, and they passed without hindrance.

A short while later, they stood by the innermost trench, closer to the city. At this moment, another wave of attacks had failed, and about a hundred soldiers retreated like a receding tide. It seemed that the repeated failures had greatly affected the morale of the attacking forces. This time, the attack was not large in scale and was mainly composed of various mixed tribes.

These mixed tribal warriors, though brave in battle, lacked military discipline and resilience. The Xiongnu used them as the main force for the attack, which was clearly more of a harassment. When they gathered below the city, they were met with a heavy rain of arrows from the Jieyou defenders. As they approached the city walls, a barrage of rolling logs and stones caused significant casualties.

When a few particularly brave and forward-charging tribal warriors were sniped by the powerful bows from the city, the rest of the troops, unable to even reach the city walls, scattered in panic.

The Xiongnu youth and Li Jingzhi clearly saw that among these troops were many fearless and fierce warriors who had once terrified the Jin army, but in the face of Jieyou's unyielding defense, many had lost their fighting spirit. The Xiongnu's enforcement team quickly moved in, dragging out a few unlucky soldiers and executing them, then driving the rest to reorganize.

"Lu Chang, that fellow, does indeed have some skill in defending the city," the Xiongnu youth said with a laugh.

Li Jingzhi couldn't help but sigh, "The new Bingzhou governor, Liu Kun, is different from Sima Teng. He has capable subordinates. Lu Chang, who is defending Jieyou, is just a minor general. If we were to fight the main Jin army, it would be even more difficult..."

The Xiongnu youth looked at Li Jingzhi in surprise.

Li Jingzhi immediately realized he had made a grave mistake. How could he praise the Jin's bravery and prowess in front of the Xiongnu? Wasn't that courting death? He quickly dismounted and knelt, repeatedly bowing, "I spoke out of turn! Out of turn!"

The Xiongnu youth, however, didn't press the matter, lightly tapping Li Jingzhi's shoulder with his riding crop, "What you said is reasonable and not wrong. Get up!"

"Yes! Yes! Although the Jin army has some capable men, with the might of our Han state, they will be crushed to dust!" Li Jingzhi felt a cold sweat break out, hurriedly praising the Xiongnu to balance things out.

The Xiongnu youth nodded absentmindedly, gazing at the battlefield.

Due to the retreat of the attacking army, the battlefield was momentarily calm. Within a five-mile radius around Jieyou, except for the piled bodies and scattered remnants of siege equipment, there was no one. The Xiongnu youth, seemingly unconcerned, suddenly flicked the reins and spurred his horse forward. His subordinates exchanged glances and followed suit.

Li Jingzhi hurriedly tried to stop him, "Your Majesty, the Jin have the advantage of bows and arrows. Going any further would be unwise."

The youth reined his horse in a half-circle, turned, and looked deeply at Li Jingzhi, suddenly winking and grinning smugly. The retinue of cavalry following him also burst into laughter. They laughed heartily, but Li Jingzhi had a sense of impending doom.

"Ha ha, ha ha, thank you for the warning!" In the laughter, the youth took off his luxurious fur coat and threw his gold-inlaid belt on the ground. Finally, he removed his golden eagle crown, spun it a couple of times on his finger, and suddenly tossed it to Li Jingzhi.

The golden crown, made of pure gold and inlaid with precious gems, was quite heavy. Li Jingzhi felt his hands and feet turn cold, almost failing to catch it.

"The coat and belt are nothing. This golden crown is a treasure of the Right Yu Lu King Liu Jing. Hold it carefully! The defeated general fled from Jin Yang last year, leaving his crown behind. I'm being kind and bringing it to him! Ha ha! Ha ha ha!" The youth laughed heartily, his spirit soaring. He ignored Li Jingzhi, spurred his horse, and galloped toward Jieyou.

The dozen or so cavalry following him also charged forward, their iron hooves raising a cloud of dust, like a gray dragon rising from the ground.

On the walls of Jieyou, Lu Chang was addressing his subordinates, "As for reinforcements... our lord will have a plan." Before he could finish, a roar of shock and anger erupted from the Xiongnu encampment.

Everyone hurriedly looked outside the city and saw a group of cavalry crossing the trench, galloping forward. At the head was a young man, shouting joyfully to the city walls, "Old Lu! Old Lu! I, Ding Wenhuo, am here to help!"

Lu Chang's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground. Behind him, many soldiers were already cheering, "It's Ding Miao! General Ding Miao! General Ding Miao is here!"

The city of Jieyou erupted in cheers, and Ding Miao, feeling triumphant, waved to the cheering soldiers on the walls, as if receiving great praise.

******

Thank you all for reading. I, the author, bow in gratitude.

Several friends have suggested that I update twice a day. I know that updating once a day is not satisfying, and I feel guilty about it.

Recently, while reviewing my completed manuscript, I suddenly became dissatisfied with part of the plot and ruthlessly deleted over 55,000 words. In the past few days, I have been working hard to write, and I have managed to maintain a reserve of about 150,000 words. My knowledge is limited, and writing such a historical novel often requires repeated revisions. If the reserve is insufficient, it will indeed affect the quality. The reason I cannot update twice a day is not that I don't want to, but that I cannot. I humbly request that all readers understand.

Today, I sincerely accept the readers' criticism and will try to add an update in the afternoon or evening as an apology.

Even so, I humbly request clicks, red votes, and favorites. I bow deeply.

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