Chapter 27

The next day, while Liu Yao and Ju Shou were discussing state affairs.

"Report..." A messenger ran in, "Lord, the army of the Grand Commandant Taishi Ci is already ten miles outside of Jixian County."

"Hmm?" Liu Yao frowned. He had given Taishi Ci a deadline of half a month, but it wasn't time yet for him to return. Liu Yao couldn't help but worry if something had gone wrong. "I ask you, did you see any casualties among Taishi Ci's men?"

"Well... I really don't know, but from the look of satisfaction on Grand Commandant Taishi Ci's face, it doesn't seem like he was injured." The messenger thought for a moment and said.

"Oh, it looks like Ziyi must have returned with a full load." Ju Shou smiled after hearing this.

"Good, Gongyu, let's go welcome Ziyi together." Liu Yao's heart was also at ease.

When Liu Yao and Ju Shou climbed up to the city wall, they were stunned. Taishi Ci was leading the way on horseback, and behind him were countless cattle, sheep, and horses. The cavalry under Taishi Ci no longer looked like cavalry; instead, they looked like herdsmen, driving these animals towards Jixian County in a rather disheveled manner.

As soon as Taishi Ci saw Liu Yao, he immediately dismounted and ran over excitedly, "This subordinate, Taishi Ci, greets the lord."

"Excellent!! Ziyi, you have truly accomplished a great feat this time." Liu Yao was overjoyed, helping Taishi Ci up, and then looked at the cattle, sheep, and horses behind him, his mouth twitching. "Ziyi, how many small tribes did you raid to get so many spoils?"

"Lord, this subordinate directly invaded the vast grasslands of the Wuhuan. Along the way, I destroyed three or forty large and small Wuhuan tribes. As for how many there are in total, I can't count them. My men simply couldn't manage them all, so I had to withdraw early." Taishi Ci looked somewhat unsatisfied. In his view, if he had more men, he could have plundered all the small Wuhuan tribes.

"Good, Ziyi, come with me into the city. I will host a banquet to welcome you." Liu Yao, with a smile, led Taishi Ci back to the governor's residence. As for the cattle, sheep, and horses, there were people to take care of them. The celebration banquet that night went smoothly, unlike the previous one, which was interrupted. Everyone drank until they were unconscious. However, Zhang Fei looked at Taishi Ci with a mix of resentment and jealousy, making Taishi Ci feel extremely uncomfortable.

According to post-event statistics, Taishi Ci brought back a total of 30,000 warhorses and 100,000 cattle and sheep, along with countless treasures of the Wuhuan.

The news of the Wuhuan's defeat quickly reached King Quli Ju of the Wuhuan. Out of 60,000 troops, fewer than 3,000 survived, and his two top generals and two nephews were captured. Quli Ju was so angry that he almost spat blood.

Quli Ju had only recently become the king of the Wuhuan, and the various tribes under him were not entirely harmonious. He immediately raised 100,000 troops to avenge this blood feud, but his subordinates had ulterior motives. No one was willing to face the terrifying Governor of Youzhou again. Reluctantly, Quli Ju had to suppress his anger for the time being.

What Quli Ju did not expect was that soon another report came. Forty large and small tribes around the Wuhuan royal court were completely annihilated, with no survivors. All the cattle, sheep, and horses that the Wuhuan relied on for survival were plundered.

This time, Quli Ju cried out, "Governor of Youzhou, I will never forgive you!" and spat out a mouthful of blood, fainting. Fortunately, he was rescued in time; otherwise, he would have been the first Wuhuan king to die of anger in history.

Quli Ju, a man of great talent and vision, did not mention revenge after he woke up. He immediately sent envoys to Liu Yao to negotiate peace and ransom his two top generals and nephews. However, Quli Ju's heart was bleeding; this loss would take the Wuhuan at least seven or eight years to recover from.

Liu Yao in Jixian County soon learned that the Wuhuan had sent envoys.

"Gongyu, do you think the Wuhuan are sending envoys to negotiate peace?" Liu Yao asked.

"Indeed, Lord, the Wuhuan envoys can only have come for this purpose," Ju Shou replied.

"Why? I don't believe we have completely defeated the Wuhuan this time," Liu Yao shook his head and said.

"Lord, I believe there are three reasons why the Wuhuan are negotiating peace this time."

"Oh, please enlighten me, Gongyu," Liu Yao humbly asked.

"First, although we have not completely defeated the Wuhuan, we have certainly inflicted a severe blow. The Wuhuan have more than one enemy. They are now in a precarious position, with the Xianbei and Xiongnu tribes eyeing them greedily. These tribes are already quite powerful, and the Wuhuan have lost at least 60,000 to 70,000 men. If they suffer more losses, they will eventually be eliminated by the Xianbei and Xiongnu. Second, I believe Quli Ju is afraid."

Liu Yao was taken aback and pointed at himself, "Afraid? Afraid of me?"

"Exactly! In recent years, the Wuhuan have easily raided our Han territories without encountering any significant resistance, let alone a defeat like this. Now, he dares not provoke the lord again. On the contrary, he fears that the lord will retaliate and destroy the Wuhuan royal court, eradicating the Wuhuan clan. That's why he sent envoys so quickly," Ju Shou explained.

Liu Yao couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit smug. "Then, Gongyu, what is the third reason?"

Ju Shou burst out laughing, leaving Liu Yao puzzled.

"Lord, the third reason is that he fears losing his position as the Wuhuan king," Ju Shou said.

"What does this have to do with his position?" Liu Yao was confused.

Ju Shou smiled and said, "Lord, do you remember the four captives we took?"

"You mean those four are related to Quli Ju's position?" Liu Yao was surprised. He had ordered the capture of these Wuhuan generals to present them as war trophies to his father, Emperor Liu Hong.

"Exactly. Although Quli Ju is the Wuhuan king, the various tribes under him have their own ulterior motives and are not united. Two of the captives are Quli Ju's nephews, whom he must ransom back. As for the other two, one is the heir to the second-largest Wuhuan tribe, and the other is the heir to a large tribe loyal to Quli Ju. Quli Ju cannot ignore them. If he had the opportunity to save them and did not, the Wuhuan would likely rebel. If the first and second-largest tribes fought each other, even if Quli Ju won, he would be severely weakened, and the position of Wuhuan king would likely be out of his reach," Ju Shou said proudly, stroking his beard.

"Oh, so that's how it is." Liu Yao laughed. This time, it was a case of unintentional success.

"Then, Gongyu, should we negotiate peace with the Wuhuan?" Liu Yao's idea was to completely destroy the Wuhuan to eliminate future threats.

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