"Who goes there? Whose banner do you serve? Dismount at once, or we will shoot!"
As Zhou Fugui's troops advanced stealthily and neared Touman City, they encountered hundreds of Hun scouts. A burly commander among the scouts shouted this question, ordering his men to draw their bows and arrows, ready to fire at the slightest sign of trouble.
"We are soldiers under the command of Qi Wu Li Danghu," someone from Zhou Fugui's group replied loudly.
"Qi Wu Li Danghu?" The Hun scout commander heard this and signaled his men to hold their horses, then shouted again, "Who goes there? Whose banner do you serve? Dismount at once, or we will shoot!"
This time, the Hun scout commander asked in the Hun language.
Someone in Zhou Fugui's group immediately responded in fluent Hun language.
"So, you are under Qi Wu Li Danghu. Do you have any proof of authorization?" The Hun scout commander, somewhat relieved, but still wary, asked in Chinese again. He then waved his hand, ordering his men to surround the two hundred riders in a fan shape and slowly close in.
Chinese was quite popular on the grasslands and had almost become the official language.
"And who are you? Whose banner do you serve?" At this moment, a young and valiant "Hun general" ordered his men to prepare for battle and then spurred his horse forward, asking loudly.
"I am Xu Bu Ti, a commandant under the Great Chanyu," replied the Hun scout commander named Xu Bu Ti, drawing his saber and urging his horse forward, looking at the "pretty boy."
Of course, this pretty boy was different from a Han pretty boy. A Han pretty boy typically had fair skin on his small face, with sparse beard. This one, though handsome, had a bronze complexion, a thick beard, a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and a majestic build. He could only be considered a "Hun pretty boy"...
The clear characteristics of someone from the northern grasslands made Xu Bu Ti feel even more at ease.
"Oh, so you are Commandant Xu Bu Ti," the Hun pretty boy said. "I am Hu Yan Cang, a captain under Qi Wu Li Danghu, on a mission to find the Great Chanyu's main camp to report urgent military intelligence."
Hu Yan Cang, the Hun pretty boy, then handed a token to Xu Bu Ti.
The Hun army's so-called proof of authorization or tokens were essentially pieces of sheepskin inscribed with military rank, name, etc., written in both Chinese and Hun languages.
After capturing Hun soldiers, Zhou Fugui had ordered replicas to be made, with each of the two hundred riders possessing one.
Replicating the Hun tokens was much simpler. Their tokens or proof of authorization didn't even have secret codes.
Moreover, Zhou Fugui had been around for several years and had learned some Xianbei and Hun languages, at least enough for normal conversation.
Hu Yan Cang? Hearing this, Xu Bu Ti became even more reassured. He smiled, took the sheepskin, examined it, and then returned it to the Hun pretty boy.
After all, the Hu Yan clan was a major clan of the Huns.
Of course, not everyone surnamed Hu Yan was an ally. For example, the border commander of the Great Yan Kingdom, Hu Yan Sheng. However, the Hun pretty boy claimed to be under Qi Wu Li Danghu, and Xu Bu Ti knew Qi Wu Li to be a mediocre general. If not for his family having over a thousand tents and tens of thousands of herders and slaves, he wouldn't have been appointed a Danghu in the Great Hun Empire.
Therefore, Qi Wu Li was only a marginal figure in the Hun army, perhaps handling odd jobs. What urgent military intelligence could he possibly have? Xu Bu Ti mused in his heart.
"Hu Yan Cang? What tribe are you from?" Xu Bu Ti then asked the Hun pretty boy.
"Tuge," the Hun pretty boy replied.
"Oh..." The Hun pretty boy answered correctly, so Xu Bu Ti nodded and asked, "What is the military situation ahead?"
"Commandant Xu Bu Ti..." the Hun pretty boy replied. "The Yan army is elite, and the three passes are heavily guarded. The main army will not fare well. As for specific military intelligence, I can only speak of it once I reach the Great Chanyu's camp."
"Hmm..." Xu Bu Ti nodded upon hearing this.
"The three passes are heavily guarded. What about beyond the three passes?" At this moment, a Hun general asked with a laugh, "I heard you captured quite a few cattle and sheep? And quite a few Yan women too. How were they? Big butts, and big enough?"
"No fun..." The Hun pretty boy replied with a lewd smile. "Only our Hun women have big butts and are big enough to bear children. As for Yan women... most have small butts and are small, unable to bear many children. However, a night spent in their embrace can still satisfy one's desires."
"Hahahaha!" A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding Hun soldiers, tinged with lewdness. The two hundred subordinates of the Hun pretty boy couldn't help but chuckle.
"Tell me, brother, how many have you slept with?"
"Pah! Stop talking. They found me a woman past her prime. Am I some kind of person who can be satisfied with a woman past her prime? Therefore..."
"Hahahaha!" The crowd burst into laughter again.
The Hun pretty boy's words were humorous and vulgar, but they greatly increased the goodwill of the Hun soldiers towards him.
Xu Bu Ti himself couldn't help but chuckle and did not stop them from talking about the Yan women.
The Great Hun Chanyu, Duo Yong Jian, had led his army south, claiming it was for the great cause of the Huns and for imperial ambitions. However, for the vast majority, going south was simply for plunder – to seize money, people, women, cattle, sheep, and anything else they could.
"The Great Chanyu's military camp is in Touman City. Hurry along!" Xu Bu Ti then pointed behind him and said to the Hun pretty boy.
"Yes, brothers, we'll talk again later. We're leaving now." The Hun pretty boy nodded in agreement.
Thus, with a "reluctant farewell," the Hun pretty boy continued north with his men, while Xu Bu Ti continued his patrol, hunting for Yan spies.
...
"Camp Commander, you are as brilliant as ever, using the gods of war!"
"The god of war Zhou Fugui, number one in risky tactics!"
The Hun pretty boy, Zhou Fugui, led his two hundred horsemen, continuing north to search for the main camp of the Hun Great Chanyu Duo Yong Jian. Along the way, they rode ostentatiously, chatting and laughing loudly on the grasslands, not arousing the suspicion of the increasing numbers of Hun soldiers.
It was safer to travel openly like this than to hide among the Hun soldiers. It was akin to the saying, "The truly great hide in plain sight, the moderately great hide in the marketplace, and the lesser great hide in the wilderness."
Thus, a torrent of praise and flattery flowed towards Zhou Fugui as they rode.
"Risky tactics?" Zhou Fugui shook his head upon hearing this. "Don't mention those days. Back then, my White Tiger Camp had over three thousand soldiers. Venturing with over three thousand lives was indeed too audacious. The situation now is different. At this very moment, we are ordered to cross the passes, and all our actions are risky. Therefore, I, Zhou, am truly forced to do this. However, it is best to undertake such dangerous tasks less often in the future."
"Fugui speaks the truth..." Li Qing nodded. "But in this chaotic era, what day do soldiers not face risk for their pay? When do they not face risk?"
Zhou Fugui nodded silently.
Li Qing's words held some truth, but the role of a general and that of a soldier were different. A general should be cautious, treading on thin ice. It was as Hu Yan Sheng had said, and the reason was self-evident: a general's slightest mistake could cost thousands of lives.
"General Zhou, there's a military tent ahead," at this moment, Ye Li Hu galloped over and said to Zhou Fugui.
"A military tent? What's so strange about a military tent? Is it the barbarian king's tent?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
The Hun cavalry, when descending south for their horses to drink, primarily set up tents. Would they build houses?
"General Zhou, this tent is set up in a secluded spot in the wilderness, which is why I found it somewhat strange," Ye Li Hu quickly replied.
"Wherever he wants to build it is his business. What does it have to do with us? Stop causing trouble. I sent you to scout for useful intelligence, why are you investigating such trivial matters?" Zhou Fugui glared at Ye Li Hu and said.
"Oh..." Ye Li Hu was about to ride away to continue scouting.
"Wait!" Zhou Fugui suddenly had an idea and called out to stop Ye Li Hu. "How many men are around the military tent?"
"About thirty to fifty men. General Zhou, you are...?" Ye Li Hu asked in surprise.
"Hmm..." Zhou Fugui nodded but did not answer. Instead, he repeatedly instructed Xu Man Cang, Xue Wen Tai, Suo Da Cheng, Bai Ma Wu, and others. "Suo Da Cheng, you will lead twenty cavalry to accompany Ye Li Hu to observe the surroundings of the military tent. The rest will follow me to the tent to see what this tent is all about."
Everyone responded and followed Zhou Fugui on horseback.
...
"Bang!" In the wilderness, inside a large tent, a Hun elder was busy with over twenty slaves. Suddenly, a group of Hun soldiers burst into the tent. Due to their boisterous entry, they tore down the tent flap and knocked over a wooden rack inside, startling everyone.
"Who is it?" the Hun elder asked in alarm.
"Hu Yan Cang, a captain under Qi Wu Li Danghu. What are you doing?" a tall Hun pretty boy asked, wielding a heavy sword as he entered the tent.
"Captain Hu Yan Cang?" The elder exclaimed, exhaling a long breath. He pointed at the Hun pretty boy and his companions and said, "You've come at just the right time. Hurry and help move these boxes. These belong to the Great Chanyu. Be careful, or the Great Chanyu will not forgive you if the boxes are damaged! And you, why are you holding that sword? It's quite frightening."
The elder, a close associate of the Chanyu Duo Yong Jian, naturally spoke with authority upon seeing a group of Hun soldiers enter.
"Oh..." Hearing this, the Hun pretty boy put his heavy sword on his back, seemingly intending to carry it.
"Pfft!"
The Hun pretty boy raised his sword in mid-air and suddenly brought it down, cleaving off half of the Hun elder's shoulder and his head simultaneously. Blood splattered all over the pretty boy's face, turning his fair face red. The elder's half-shoulder and his astonished head rolled to the ground.
"Kill them all. Leave no one alive!" the Hun pretty boy ordered coldly, wiping the blood from his face.
Then, the Hun pretty boy's wolf-like subordinates swiftly executed their orders, slaughtering all the slaves in the tent.
The screams of the slaves echoed, and dismembered corpses filled the military tent. The brutal scene sent shivers down one's spine.