"Ambush?"
Upon hearing of an ambush ahead, the Xiongnu Great Chieftain of the Left Wing, Qiwu Han, was startled. He quickly looked forward, seeing only a dense maple forest, a sea of crimson. However, the maples were sparse, and one could see the end at a glance. How could there be an ambush here?
Even if there were, it wouldn't accommodate many soldiers.
The grasslands were flat and exposed, making it difficult to set up an ambush.
Therefore, Qiwu Han ordered, "What ambush? False report of military information! Even if there is an ambush, what fear do we have of mere bandits and rebels? Saduol, continue to lead as the vanguard. The rest of the army, follow closely. We have already wasted much time."
Thus, the cautious Xiongnu general Saduol continued to lead the army as the vanguard, intending to pass through the maple forest.
Just as Saduol was about to urge his horse forward, hundreds of riders suddenly emerged from the maple forest, a dark mass charging towards them, startling Qiwu Han, Saduol, and the others.
"Draw swords, nock arrows, cavalry prepare..." Saduol, with his considerable combat experience, was about to form a defensive formation when he suddenly realized something was amiss.
If these people were truly ambushing in the maple forest, they should have waited until the Xiongnu army had passed through before launching a sudden attack, preferably striking when the Xiongnu army was halfway through, cutting them in half to achieve maximum surprise. Anyone with a basic understanding of military strategy would do this.
But these people, before the main army had even entered the forest, had emerged and were charging directly at the Xiongnu? Attacking an army of several thousand with a few hundred men, what was the difference between this and suicide?
As the hundreds of people drew closer, many could see clearly. They were all in tattered clothes, some on horseback, others on foot, but mostly on foot. Among them were old and young, even some women, dressed in colorful garments. They carried simple weapons, some slung over their shoulders, others resting on their arms, swords not drawn, arrows not nocked. Many carried packs and drove ox carts.
From their appearance, they did not look like an attacking force but rather like refugees fleeing hardship. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Stop! Stop moving forward!" Saduol, leading a detachment, rode forward. Holding the reins of his horse with one hand and a large saber in the other, he shouted, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"My lord..." Most of the people stopped running. A burly man stepped out from the crowd, approached Saduol, and placed his tattered leather cap, which he had removed from his head, on his chest. He said, "We are slaves from the camp of Lord Ao Deng, the Right Guli King."
"From Ao Deng's camp?" Before Saduol could speak, Qiwu Han rode up and asked, "Why are you here?"
Qiwu Han rode up, surrounded by dozens of guards carrying large shields, forming a tight cordon around him. He revealed half his face through the gaps in the shields.
If there were a few bandits among these people who could launch poisoned arrows... even if they defeated the bandits, it would be too late. Therefore, Qiwu Han was exceptionally cautious, lest he die before achieving anything.
Since they claimed to be from the Right Guli King Ao Deng's camp, Qiwu Han did not order them to be killed immediately.
Regardless of whether it was a trick, gathering some information, especially about Ao Deng's camp, would be beneficial without any loss. At worst, they would discover the bandits were imposters and then kill them all.
"My lord, you are...?" The burly slave asked, looking at Qiwu Han through the shield gaps.
"My lord is Qiwu Han, Great Chieftain, leading troops here to eliminate the rebels," a guard replied on Qiwu Han's behalf.
"Oh, Chieftain Qiwu Han..." The burly slave bowed upon hearing this and said, "Lord Ao Deng, the Right Guli King, has been killed."
"Mmm, I know he was killed..." Qiwu Han pushed the shield in front of him, widening the gap, and asked, "Who killed him?"
"I don't know who they were..." the burly slave replied, "But they speak the Dingling language."
"It was the Zinu?" Qiwu Han asked, surprised.
The Dingling people were an ancient northern tribe, also known as Dingling, Dingling, Dingling, and Dingling. During the Three Kingdoms period, a portion of the Dingling people still roamed south of Lake Baikal, known as the Northern Dingling. Another portion migrated to the Altai Mountains, bordering Wusun and Cheshi to the north, and Kangju to the southwest, known as the Western Dingling.
During the reign of Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu, the Xiongnu rose and became increasingly powerful. Through their raids and plunder, the Xiongnu conquered many neighboring clans and tribes, including the Northern Dingling.
The Xiongnu even used the lands inhabited by the Northern Dingling as a place of exile. The famous Su Wu of the Han Dynasty was once exiled to this place by the Xiongnu.
The Xiongnu, relying on their immense power, cruelly plundered and exploited the Dingling people, just as they did the Wuhuan, Xianbei, and various other clans and tribes. Many Dingling people were captured by the Xiongnu and became their slaves, known as "Zinu."
The Dingling people and the Xiongnu harbored generations of hatred. Thus, it was not uncommon for Dingling rebels to attack and kill Xiongnu. However, their audacity in killing Ao Deng, the Right Guli King of the Great Xiongnu, would surely provoke a brutal retaliation from the Xiongnu army.
"After they killed Lord Ao Deng, the Right Guli King, they occupied his camp," the burly slave nodded and continued. "They killed and burned, violated women, and committed all sorts of atrocities. We couldn't bear it any longer and risked our lives to escape. But they wouldn't let us go and sent troops to pursue us. Thousands of us ran here, and only over five hundred remain."
"Oh..." Hearing the burly slave say it was the Dingling people, Qiwu Han believed him by three parts. He finally emerged from behind the shield, looked at the burly slave, and asked, "How many Dingling barbarians are there?"
While Qiwu Han now believed him by three parts, it was still only three parts. How many deceptive schemes were there on the battlefield? Qiwu Han had to remain cautious.
"There are quite a few, about a thousand or so, and they are all fierce and ferocious," the burly slave replied.
"A thousand men?" Although the number of "Dingling people" was more than Qiwu Han had been informed, a thousand men were no match for Qiwu Han's over five thousand troops. Moreover, behind Qiwu Han were the more than six thousand soldiers under the command of the Great Cavalry Commander of the Left, Xubuliang. The troop ratio was ten to one. How could this group of "Dingling people" possibly be an opponent to the Xiongnu army? The battle held no suspense. Thus, Qiwu Han, feeling reassured, asked, "A thousand men attacked the Right Guli King's camp, and Ao Deng was killed?"
If there were no other special reasons, then Ao Deng must have been either foolish or incompetent. Qiwu Han felt a sense of schadenfreude, excitement, and joy.
By eliminating the "Dingling" rebels and then absorbing Ao Deng's forces, Qiwu Han's own power would undoubtedly grow significantly. His sister, under Du Yongjian's command, would certainly have her status elevated and perhaps even gain Du Yongjian's exclusive favor. And Qiwu Han himself might even contend for the position of Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu.
The more Qiwu Han thought about it, the more impatient he became. He longed to kill all these "Dingling" rebels immediately and then annex Ao Deng's troops, supplies, livestock, women, and so on.
"Lord Ao Deng, the Right Guli King, personally led his troops out of the camp to meet the enemy. Unexpectedly, he was struck by a stray arrow and died. His troops were then scattered," the burly slave replied.
"Hahahaha!" Qiwu Han heard this and immediately laughed heartily, looking around. "Is there anyone in this world as foolish as a pig? He led from the front, only to die before the enemy!"
"Hahahaha!" Qiwu Han's subordinates also burst into laughter, mocking Ao Deng, who had failed to lead from the front and instead died before the enemy.
Qiwu Han certainly knew that leading from the front could greatly boost army morale. However, leading from the front did not necessarily mean personally charging into battle. Like himself, he was personally leading the troops to suppress the "Dingling" rebels, yet he was protected like an iron barrel...
"Chieftain Qiwu Han..." The burly slave's face showed a subtle smile. He said to Qiwu Han, "We have nowhere to go. Please take us in, my lord."
"Take you in? Of course..." Qiwu Han smiled upon hearing this. "But there are two conditions you must obey my lord's orders. Do you agree?"
Hundreds more slaves were certainly a good thing, but only if they could gain Qiwu Han's trust.
"We are lowly slaves, what right do we have to agree or disagree? Just give your orders, Chieftain," the burly slave said humbly.
The burly slave was eloquent and answered fluently, greatly satisfying Qiwu Han. Such a subordinate, if taken into his service, would surely be of great use. However, it was precisely because of this that Qiwu Han began to harbor some suspicion.
So, Qiwu Han nodded and said to the burly slave, "You must serve as the vanguard for the army and eliminate the Dingling Zinu. As for you... how can you make me believe you?"
Using these few hundred slaves as the vanguard to eliminate the "Dingling" and thus keep his own men unharmed was certainly a good idea. Whether they lived or died was of no concern to Qiwu Han. Even if all these hundreds of people perished, Qiwu Han's eyes wouldn't even bat.
"How can the Chieftain believe my words?" the burly slave asked in return.
Qiwu Han stared coldly at the burly slave. After a long pause, he said coldly, "Unless you die!"
"Pfft!" With a sound, the burly slave did not hesitate. He pulled out a short dagger from his embrace and plunged it fiercely into his own abdomen.
The Xiongnu soldiers exclaimed in surprise, and the fleeing slaves cried out and rushed forward.
"Chieftain Qiwu Han..." The burly slave pushed away two slaves who were supporting him. His face was pale, and his eyes looked coldly at Qiwu Han as he asked, "Do you believe me now?"
"I believe, I believe! My lord believes you. Why did you have to do this?" Qiwu Han replied with a smile.
The burly slave's willingness to die to prove his sincerity had finally made Qiwu Han believe him by eighty percent. The remaining twenty percent didn't matter. Whether he sent them to their deaths or not, what difference did it make?