Tang Qiuguan Shilang and Lai Junchen were discussing legal cases. Junchen had received secret instructions regarding an interrogation, but Xing was unaware of them. Later, at a meal, Junchen asked Xing, "Many prisoners refuse to confess. How would you devise a method for them?" Xing replied, "It's very simple. Get a large vat, heat it with charcoal on all sides, and place the prisoner inside. What wouldn't they confess then?" He immediately ordered a large vat to be brought and surrounded it with fire. Then, turning to Xing, he said, "I have a confidential report to interrogate you, brother. Please enter this vat." Xing, terrified, kowtowed, and all those present immediately confessed their crimes.
"Invite your brother into the vat" – the meaning behind this idiom is that one knowingly walks into a trap.
However, Zhou Fugui and Ye Guantng invited the Xiongnu cavalry commander Xu Bulang into the vat by luring him with profit and pressuring him with power, causing Xu Bulang to stumble headlong into the trap.
When Qiwu Han's unit was routed, Xu Bulang, the Xiongnu cavalry commander stationed thirty li away, naturally received the news. He also saw the smoke rising from the grasslands. Simultaneously, many men ran back, claiming that Qiwu Han's unit was fiercely engaged with the enemy and requesting Xu Bulang's swift support. The messenger even carried Qiwu Han's token.
The chaotic and contradictory messages left Xu Bulang confused, unsure of their truthfulness. However, for prudence, he dispatched several scouting parties. The scouts reported that Qiwu Han's unit was indeed locked in a fierce battle with the enemy around the Gexi Mines, and that they were on the verge of defeating the rebels.
Therefore, Xu Bulang hastily led his troops, fearing that all the credit would be snatched by Qiwu Han.
Being late meant not only missing out on the spoils but perhaps not even getting a taste of the broth.
The enemy forces were few in number; this was one of the reasons Xu Bulang dared to rush forward, just like Qiwu Han.
The mines, of course, had mountains and water, minerals and mountains, mine shafts, pits, and dense forests. The terrain was extremely complex and not conducive to cavalry warfare.
The Gexi Mines were the second ambush site set by Zhou Fugui, Ye Guantng, and Li Qing for the Xiongnu.
"Not good! We've fallen into an ambush!"
"Where is that beast Qiwu Han?"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Kill the Xiongnu! Kill the Xiongnu! Kill the Xiongnu!"
"White Tiger Battalion!"
"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"
When Xu Bulang led his more than six thousand cavalry to the Gexi Mines, they were ambushed by Zhou Fugui and his White Tiger Battalion. Countless horses fell into the mine shafts, the air filled with the cries of men and horses, descending into chaos. The shafts were filled with mud, slag, and wastewater, making it impossible for the cavalry to escape quickly.
Would the soldiers of the White Tiger Battalion give Xu Bulang's forces a chance to escape? Countless men and horses appeared amidst the trees and rocks, launching attacks on Xu Bulang's unit with various weapons. Their numbers far exceeded the two hundred Yan soldiers and the slave army from the Aodeng camp. The reason was that within the Gexi Mines, there were thousands of slave miners who harbored profound hatred for the Xiongnu. With a little instigation from Zhou Fugui, they willingly followed the White Tiger Battalion in attacking the Xiongnu.
These thousands of slave miners served as fresh troops for the White Tiger Battalion, and they were more familiar with the terrain than anyone else. Ambushes against the Xiongnu army in this area were carried out with ease and mastery.
The ambushed Xiongnu had no power to fight back, crying out in pain or dying in the Gexi Mines, a situation even more dire than that of Qiwu Han's unit.
"Where is that beast Qiwu Han?" The Xiongnu cavalry commander Xu Bulang, furious and spitting blood, cursed Qiwu Han. He raised his saber under the command banner and shouted loudly, "Warriors of our great Xiongnu, do not panic, do not panic! Follow me and break out..."
Before Xu Bulang could finish his cry of "out," an arrow flew and pierced his throat with a "poof." His voice abruptly stopped. His stout body fell from his horse into a mine shaft, covered in mud, slag, and wastewater, becoming a mud-covered corpse.
Amidst the chaos, Zhou Fugui was searching for the Xiongnu commander. He stood under the command banner, mounted on a tall horse, shouting loudly. If not him, who else would be shot?
"Those who kneel and surrender will be spared; those who resist will be killed! Those who kneel will be spared, those who stand will be killed! Those who kneel will be spared, those who stand will be killed!"
"White Tiger Battalion!"
"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Kill the Xiongnu! Kill the Xiongnu! Kill the Xiongnu!"
The White Tiger Battalion and the slave miners were immediately filled with renewed vigor. They pursued the Xiongnu across the mountains and plains, their shouts of killing and surrender echoing through the sky.
After Xu Bulang was shot dead, his troops, under the overwhelming pursuit of the White Tiger Battalion, lost all morale. They knelt and surrendered, while those who resisted were gradually killed by the White Tiger Battalion. Subsequently, the number of surrendering soldiers grew, until all was quiet on the battlefield within the Gexi Mines.
...
"Kukudun Er! Kukudun Er! Kukudun Er!"
"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"
Zhou Fugui, commander of the White Tiger Battalion and Brigadier General of the Great Yan Kingdom, rode a black warhorse, his back straight and chest puffed out. He held the divine weapon, the Trembling Dragon Halberd, in his right hand, his left hand on the reins. Clad in black dual-layer armor and a black cape that billowed in the strong wind, he appeared exceptionally majestic.
The killing intent stirred the dragon sword, and the might shook the tiger banner. The cold wind pressed against the city, and the heavenly general reinforced the winter city.
At this moment, Zhou Fugui was like a divine being. As he rode past, thousands of people erupted in thunderous cheers, like a roaring mountain tide.
Kukudun Er was a peerless hero of the grasslands, a chosen one. After his birth, he resolved enmities, eradicated evil, and righted wrongs, uniting the various peoples of the grasslands in harmony, as close as family. After his death, he was enshrined by the Heavenly Emperor as the God of Unity, still protecting the kind people of the grasslands.
Kukudun Er was, of course, a mythical figure of the grasslands. Yet, at this moment, the people were comparing Zhou Fugui to Kukudun Er.
A heavenly god descended, emerging from the You Xiong Valley, to rescue the suffering and oppressed. He led those living at the lowest strata, the humble, to rise up against the brutality of the Xiongnu, and had twice defeated the Xiongnu armies. What else could such a person be but a heavenly god? What else could he be but a peerless hero? At least, that was what those present believed.
However, whether Zhou Fugui would bring them an era of ending hardship and ushering in sweetness or disaster, was still unknown!
Zhou Fugui raised the Trembling Dragon Halberd, and the crowd fell silent.
"We must pursue the defeated enemy with all our might, and not learn from the Overlord's mistakes!" Zhou Fugui then said loudly, "Brothers, my brothers of the White Tiger Battalion, I, Zhou, am untalented, but you have favored me and placed me in command. Since this is the case, what I want to say is that although we have achieved two great victories, we are still far from peace. Ahead of us lie more battles, fierce battles. Can those noble lords tolerate us? Therefore, rather than wait for them to come to us, it is better for us to take the initiative. We must advance with lightning speed, seizing victory, and our target is White Wolf City."
"Roar! Roar! Roar!" The crowd brandished their weapons and shouted their approval.
Since they regarded Zhou Fugui as a god, how could they disobey the divine decree? Of course, whatever he said, went.
However, in the past, killing a few Xiongnu was a monumental event. Now, having defeated two Xiongnu armies consecutively, and preparing to attack a Xiongnu city, the thought alone was exhilarating.
Zhou Fugui, surrounded by his generals, rode to the front of the disheartened Xiongnu captives and asked Ye Guantng, "Tingju, is there a custom of burying Xiongnu alive?"
"There is such a saying..." Ye Guantng replied with some confusion, "Those who do not surrender are all buried. However, my lord, what do you mean by this?"
The Xiongnu were brutal. For those unwilling to surrender, they had indeed buried them alive. However, Ye Guantng did not approve of such cruelty.
The captured Xiongnu were all trembling and dejected, thinking their lives were numbered.
Zhou Fugui waved his hand and said to the captured Xiongnu, "Am I such a cruel person? I will not only not bury you alive, but I will also release you. I know in my heart that most of you are ordinary people, forced onto the battlefield. Therefore, you can rest assured."
The captured Xiongnu were overjoyed upon hearing this, then looked at Zhou Fugui with shared concern, fearing he might break his word.
"My surname is Zhou and my given name is Fugui. I am a Han Chinese," Zhou Fugui then said to the captured Xiongnu. "For reasons unknown, I have come here, also to survive. But some do not wish for me to live, so I can only resist."
Zhou Fugui pointed to the slaves and miners who had recently joined the White Tiger Battalion and said, "It is the same for them. Unable to bear the bullying of those noble lords of the Xiongnu, they rose up in resistance. That is all. I believe many among you are in the same situation. You have also suffered much bullying from those noble lords, but you have mostly chosen to endure silently, daring to be angry but not to speak. Today, by leading people to resist the tyranny of the Xiongnu, I offer you an opportunity. If anyone is willing to join us, my White Tiger Battalion welcomes you with open arms and will treat you as brothers. In short, whether to stay or leave is entirely up to you. My word is my bond, and I will not go back on it. However, I must inform you in advance: if you choose to leave and then become my enemy, there will be no such good fortune next time. Do not say you were not warned!"
The captured Xiongnu looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves. None stepped forward to join the White Tiger Battalion.
In the end, a large portion of the captured Xiongnu left. Only a few remained, and Zhou Fugui kept his word, releasing them after the battle.
...
"What are they afraid of?" Zhou Fugui had initially thought that his impassioned speech would surely move these common people, but the outcome was this. He asked Ye Guantng listlessly.
"Does my lord not know?" Ye Guantng replied, "They fear retaliation from the Xiongnu army. Although you have defeated two Xiongnu armies, you have not yet defeated their elite forces. If the Xiongnu Great Chanyu Duoyongjian returns with his army, can you resist him?"
Zhou Fugui sighed upon hearing this.