"Enough!" A middle-aged man clad in a felt coat stood up, his brow furrowed.
"I am not here today to listen to you bicker," the man said, scanning the crowd in the great tent with an unquestionable tone. "Your task is to figure out how to win this war."
"Nothing more."
This man was Modu Chanyu, the leader who had reunified the Xiongnu after more than ten years of internal strife.
Modu Chanyu had, in a very short time, seized upon the fact that the Xiongnu tribes had suffered heavy population losses in their battles against the Zhao and Romans, and directly instigated a civil war.
He quickly conquered all the tribes and re-established the Xiongnu royal court.
The reason the Xiongnu intended to mobilize in the western territories was largely because Modu himself was a man of great adventurous spirit.
Modu believed that it was precisely because the Xiongnu's power and prestige were constantly declining that they needed to take the initiative and reclaim their former glory.
Therefore, Modu suppressed the dissatisfaction of some within the Xiongnu against him and forcefully pushed this matter forward.
Modu was naturally aware that if the war went poorly, it could lead to a path of no return. However, Modu did not believe he would reach such a dead end; Modu was convinced that he would be the ultimate victor.
Therefore, as soon as Modu spoke, the assembled individuals in the tent began to murmur.
After a moment, the Left Virtuous King, Huhanye, stood up and asked, "Currently, Ningxia Commandery is where the Wei people and Romans are engaged in battle. If we participate, with which side should we align?"
Modu looked at Huhanye and then uttered two words: "The Wei people."
"The Wei people?"
Huhanye was clearly hesitant, saying, "But the Wei people are currently suffering defeats on the battlefield. If we ally with the Wei people, won't we face even greater pressure?"
"Then does the Left Virtuous King intend to ally with the Romans?" Modu asked.
Huhanye nodded hesitantly and said, "Although we have grievances with the Romans, the current situation makes allying with the Romans the best choice."
Modu looked at the others and asked, "Is this what all of you think?"
The others in the tent hesitated, but most nodded. Although the Xiongnu had been severely wounded by the Romans, many still hoped to ally with them.
The grasslands had always revered strength. Although the Romans had dealt the Xiongnu a painful blow, they had also earned the Xiongnu's respect for their power.
In contrast, the Wei people, despite being called a powerful state, had not engaged in frequent battles with the nomadic tribes, unlike the Yan and Zhao states, due to their geographical location.
Furthermore, the Wei people, located in the Central Plains, possessed the strongest infantry in the world, but they had not made significant advancements in cavalry.
This led to most of the grassland tribes fearing the Zhao people greatly, while feeling little apprehension towards the Wei and Yan states. This was because on the grasslands, no matter how strong the infantry, they could only defend.
Modu looked at everyone and said, "Short-sighted! That's you all."
Seeing their uncomfortable expressions, Modu let out a soft snort. "The Romans have merely come from afar. Their current advantage is only because the Wei's elite forces have not yet been deployed. Once the Wei people react and dispatch large armies, will those Romans continue to be so arrogant?
"Furthermore, even if the Wei people truly cannot defeat the Romans, and the Romans occupy those lands, you all know them. They will plunder everything bare, acting more excessively than even we Xiongnu. What benefit is there in that?
"Conversely, if we can bring down the Romans while their momentum is at its peak, who else on the entire grassland would dare disrespect our great Xiongnu?"
The crowd pondered Modu's words and felt that what he said made sense.
However, Huhanye was still conflicted, saying, "Then wouldn't this mean we are fighting for the Wei people in vain? The Wei people are not good either. Is it not too much of a loss to help them like this?"
The chieftains of the Xiongnu tribes also nodded in agreement.
There was nothing to be said about fighting the Wei people; the gains would depend on the spoils of plunder, but even the worst outcome would not be too little.
However, it was different when attacking the Romans. The Romans had only sent their armies. Attacking the Romans was truly a thankless task that yielded no reward.
This was why all the Xiongnu leaders unanimously wanted to attack the Wei people.
A smile appeared on Modu's face, and he said, "Who told you I plan to directly help the Wei people?
"Regardless of how many troops the Wei people have, a significant portion of them are certainly not in Ningxia Commandery. Ningxia Commandery is currently suffering continuous defeats under the Roman offensive. Do the officials of Ningxia Commandery not wish to preserve these lands?
"If such a vast territory is lost, will those people in the Wei court let these local officials off the hook?
"At that time, we only need to send people to subtly hint at them, and won't that then..."
"Hahahaha..." The chieftains also revealed knowing smiles.
These Central Plains states regarded land as important as their lives. If their kings knew, these local officials would all be stripped of their positions.
If the great Xiongnu were willing to send troops, the terms could be whatever they wished. Many chieftains were already imagining what conditions they would propose later.
"The Chanyu's plans are truly divine!"
"It is truly the blessing of the Eternal Blue Sky for the great Xiongnu to have the Chanyu. With the Chanyu, the great Xiongnu will surely march towards glory."
"Long live the Chanyu!"
Everything was ultimately about profit. Modu had not occupied the position of Chanyu for too long. At this time, apart from the initial group of followers, many others still did not fully recognize Modu.
Therefore, Modu was cautious, distributing favors evenly and maintaining balance within the Xiongnu. Of course, the foundation for this was Modu's ability to bring sufficient benefits to the Xiongnu.
Of course, the intelligence and wisdom displayed by Modu had already begun to earn the recognition of many towards him as the new Chanyu.
However, there was one person who was not too pleased, and that was Huhanye. Huhanye was originally the chieftain of a powerful Xiongnu tribe, and in fact, Huhanye was also a strong contender for the position of Chanyu.
But later, Modu ascended to the throne of Chanyu through his superior methods and greater strength, while Huhanye only became the Left Virtuous King.
Huhanye was naturally unwilling and had been secretly accumulating strength behind the scenes, hoping to compete with Modu again in the future.
However, Huhanye's several covert attempts to sabotage Modu from behind the scenes had failed, which disheartened Huhanye, and he continued to drink cup after cup of wine.