Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 138 Who is this person?
There was no time to count the number of people.

Most of the wounded soldiers left in the camp were killed here.

King Hunxie's eldest son died here, and the Xiongnu chief general Wuwei who stayed behind in the camp also died. Regardless of the deaths of such important figures, the food and supplies in the camp were also destroyed, which was the hardest hit.

Not only that, but the loss of those soldiers was enough to cause serious damage to the Huns, and they would no longer have the potential to launch such a large-scale attack in the future.

You must know that in order to establish a strong position on the grassland, the Huns integrated all the nomadic peoples. They formed a tribal alliance group dominated by the Huns and with other nomadic peoples as dependents.

During the siege of Chang'an, the Huns sent the most troops and suffered the greatest damage. The casualties alone were enough to challenge the Huns' dominant position on the grassland.

Until now, they have not figured out how the Great Zhou Dynasty organized the two attacks and counterattacks.

Especially according to the soldiers' descriptions.

This army of the Great Zhou Dynasty was extremely powerful, much more ferocious than the Great Zhou army that attacked the camp for the first time, and the leading general was so brave that he was invincible.

Even now, the Huns have not figured out how many troops of the Great Zhou army were there when they attacked their camp for the second time.

Isn’t it said that the Zhou Dynasty has not seen war for many years and its military defenses are weak?
Until now, the Huns still didn’t understand where this army came from. Was the first night attack on the camp a feint?
After all, the time they set up an ambush, the Great Zhou army they faced was defeated after just a few encounters.

On the contrary, in the second encounter, they were overwhelmed head-on.

The main reason was that several noble leaders of the Xiongnu could not figure out the layout of the Great Zhou Dynasty. According to the established plan, they knew that there would be a night attack on Chang'an tonight, and they deployed the combat plan in advance. In order to wipe out this night attack force, they sent out elite troops to pursue the remnants of the Great Zhou, striving to eliminate the Great Zhou Dynasty's vitality in a field battle.

This ensures that in the next siege, Chang'an will have no effective resistance.

Faced with such an unexpected situation, the Xiongnu nobles and leaders of other tribes held a meeting in their tents to consider how to deal with the situation next.

Among the Xiongnu nobles who fought, except for the famous general Wuwei, King Xiutu was the most powerful and influential person on the Xiongnu side.

He was the leader of an important Xiongnu tribe and was appointed by the Chanyu to take over the siege of Chang'an.

Prince Hunxie was the son of King Hunxie of the Hunxie tribe. He originally thought he had got a good job, but unexpectedly, he died on the spot in the safest place.

Most of the leaders of other nomadic tribes only sent out a few thousand people. The Huns sent the largest number of troops, and they were also the party that suffered the greatest losses in this raid.

"Where on earth did these people come from!" King Xiutu couldn't help but get furious in the tent.

The great victory turned into a great defeat. The eldest son of the leader of the Hunxie tribe, who had been on good terms with the Xiutu tribe for generations, also died here. King Xiutu didn't know how to report back. What was even more worrying was how the Chanyu would punish him when the time came.

Moreover, during the siege of Chang'an this time, the Xiutu tribe actually sent out more than 20,000 young and strong men, all of whom were truly brave and skilled in fighting. So far, more than 5,000 people have been killed or injured, and the casualties of one-quarter have greatly weakened the strength of the Xiutu tribe. If they return to the grassland, their voice in the Xiongnu royal court will also decline.

For King Xiutu, this battle destroyed not only the glory on paper but also his real status.

Therefore, King Xiutu wanted to know how his house was robbed.

"Your Majesty, this may not be a surprise attack." Not far from King Xiutu, sat a man who looked like a Zhou person but was dressed in Hu clothing.

This man's surname was Shangguan and his given name was Lu. His father was a general of the Great Zhou Dynasty and his mother was a Xiongnu. During the reign of Emperor Zhengguang, he was an official in the court. However, due to many political events during the reign of Emperor Yongjin, he was purged because of his side. In order to save his life, he had to defect to the Xiongnu.

Therefore, Shangguan Lu was familiar with the internal political situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Due to his outstanding insight and governance ability, he came to the Xiongnu side and put forward many suggestions, which led to the Xiongnu's current situation. It was Shangguan Lu's special nature and his understanding of the Great Zhou Dynasty that made him an extremely important adviser to the Xiongnu during the siege of Chang'an.

However, among the nomadic people who valued the use of force, the strategies proposed by Shangguan Lu were not adopted when it came to military operations.

The Xiongnu generals believed that they knew better how to fight, and people like Shangguan Lu only needed to ensure logistics and lead the way.

Shangguan Lu is not a stupid person either.

He knew his position on the Xiongnu side, so it was impossible for him to offer any spoiling suggestions when others were in high spirits.

After all, he just wanted to survive and make a living.

King Xiu Tu now took the Zhou minister assigned to him seriously. He said sincerely, "Sir Shangguan, I would like to hear the details."

Shangguan Lu stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "Someone in the Great Zhou Dynasty is in collusion with us and informed us in advance that someone will attack tonight."

"That's right." King Xiutu replied.

"Did they mention the number of people?" Shangguan Lu asked King Xiutu.

"No, but the person who wrote the letter told us that this time the Great Zhou Dynasty has decided to mobilize all the available troops in Chang'an." King Xiutu replied again.

"Then the number of people we encountered in the first night attack tonight was wrong." Shangguan Lu insisted.

"You mean, this special force was the one that originally planned to raid the camp at night?" King Xiutu was stunned, and suddenly he seemed to have some intention of clearing up the confusion.

"However, I see that the troops that raided the camp for the first time were led by the main general of the Great Zhou Dynasty. According to the principle that military orders are as heavy as mountains, no one in the follow-up troops should stop and hide. What's more, they knew that the front troops had suffered a great defeat, so how could they dare not retreat to Chang'an and attack the camp again? Such a choice is too unexpected." King Xiutu calmed down when he said this.

He looked at the map in the tent.

"We also discovered at first that the number of troops that raided the camp was not right, so we sent out our elite warriors to intercept the defeated Great Zhou army."

"Eliminate everyone outside Chang'an." King Xiutu pointed his finger on the map.

"Unless he can imagine that we want to eat all of them." King Xiutu pointed to the route of their pursuit troops again.

Shangguan Lu frowned, "Then this person is definitely not an ordinary person."

King Xiu Tu looked at Shangguan Lu and asked, "What do you mean?"

"If what we guessed is true, the commander of this army guessed that we were going to actively pursue the remnants of the Great Zhou Dynasty and annihilate them outside, so he temporarily proposed to hide and avoid our pursuit troops. This shows that his judgment of the situation is very accurate."

"But organizing an army that has just suffered a great defeat to launch a raid on a camp is not something that an ordinary person would have the courage to do."

Shangguan Lu continued, "It's actually very easy for the former to do it. As long as he can judge our combat intentions, it won't be difficult to hide. The difficult part is that he found the only opportunity to fight in the defeat and attacked our camp directly."

"More importantly, how could this defeated army be persuaded to attack our camp and even win?"

"Because if this judgment is accurate, then the number of people in this Great Zhou Dynasty army is actually not large, at most around 10,000 people." The more Shangguan Lu thought about it, the less likely he felt that this possibility was.

Shangguan Lu had never seen a general who possessed such military qualities and could lead the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It is impossible for there to be such a famous general in the entire Great Zhou.

The prerequisites are too stringent.

After suffering a defeat, with no advantage in the battle, a small number of troops, and mostly infantry, it is hard to convince such a force to launch such a dangerous second raid on the camp.

The commander-in-chief must be a person of extremely high status and have the courage to lead the charge, making the soldiers feel that if a commander of such a high status dares to do so, why shouldn't they fight for his life?

However, Shangguan Lu believed that it was impossible for someone of such level in the entire Great Zhou to go to the front line of the battlefield. It was absolutely impossible.

These great clans of the Great Zhou Dynasty did not have such backbone, nor could they have such ability to behave like this in the Xiongnu camp.

Even though the Xiongnu royal court was at its weakest at that time, it was actually difficult for it to be defeated by the troops of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

However, the most unlikely option is now the most likely established fact. Apart from anything else, the courage to lead the remaining troops to launch a second raid on the camp and launch a surprise attack on them is enough to deserve the word "brilliant strategy".

"Your Majesty——"

Suddenly, a scout rushed in from the door of the tent. He knelt on one knee and immediately reported the situation: "The Great Zhou army that attacked us earlier was blocked at the entrance of Chang'an and could not enter the city."

"There are still a few cavalrymen in Chang'an who are trying to intercept our pursuers."

King Xiutu was stunned. He didn't quite understand what the Great Zhou Dynasty was plotting.

Shangguan Lu was also surprised, but he quickly reacted, "Your Majesty, this is an opportunity! A huge opportunity!"

“I didn’t expect this to be true.”

"This army actually attacked our camp on impulse." Shangguan Lu rushed to the front and said, "Our army has run out of food and supplies, so we can't fight for long."

"This is the only chance now."

"If we can capture Chang'an within one day, then we can resupply our food and fodder right there in Chang'an."

King Xiu Tu did not react to the meaning of this, and asked again: "What does this mean?"

Shangguan Lu didn't know how to advise this stupid Xiongnu man, so he said hurriedly: "It is precisely because this army was a temporary strategy that Chang'an didn't know there was an isolated army outside the city."

"Chang'an mistakenly thought that all the troops that went out to rob the camp were killed outside. The reason why they didn't open the gate for these soldiers was that they were afraid that these soldiers were captured and surrendered here to deceive the enemy."

King Xiu Tu suddenly realized, "That is to say, the troops that came to raid the camp for the second time had no connection with the troops that raided the camp for the first time, nor did they have any connection with Chang'an. They made their own idea."

"And they were not connected to each other, so they didn't know the real situation of the war."

Shangguan Lu shouted, "That's right."

"So, as long as our army eats up the remnants of the Great Zhou who are blocked outside the city, Chang'an will still be an empty city. Even if we have no food, we still have a chance to attack the city in one day."

"Now our army has suffered heavy losses. If we return in defeat, you, Your Majesty, will surely be scolded by the Chanyu. But now, God has given you another chance."

King Xiutu was really worried that he would not be able to give an explanation to the Chanyu and his old ally, so he could not miss the opportunity now.

He immediately raised his hand and called on all the soldiers in the camp to besiege the troops outside the city of Chang'an.

Tonight has been full of twists and turns. King Ren Xiutu had never thought that in a situation where the entire army should have retreated, there would actually be a chance of hope.

"I want to see who has such courage!" King Xiutu looked ahead, and he mounted his horse at a very fast speed, deciding to charge towards the location of the remnants of the Great Zhou.

At this moment, Chu Shizhao also did not expect such an emergency.

Chang'an is now in a state of panic, fearing that one move will lead to the loss of Chang'an. It is unstable when it should be stable, and as solid as a rock when it should not be stable.

Chu Shizhao's head almost exploded when he thought that he might have to inherit such a group in the future.

Die early.

After cursing a few words in his heart, Chu Shizhao looked at the spear in his hand that was already bent and about to break, and felt that it was not very convenient to use.

Chu Shizhao, who used the Fenglangjuxu peak experience card, found that the gun's flexibility and skills were indeed varied and the attack distance was long, but the lethality was too low.

Among heavy weapons, the Fang Tian Hua Ji and Ma Lance are the most lethal and can also penetrate armor.

At this moment, Chu Shizhao had no place to change weapons, and looking at the mostly tired cavalrymen behind him, Chu Shizhao sighed in his heart.

In this situation, apart from the humanoid Gundam Zhao Yun who went in and out of Changbanpo seven times in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the only powerful supermodel monster Wen Yang in the Magic Book of Jin was the only one who could resolve the situation.

Chu Shizhao also knew that it was unlikely that they could win a head-on battle. Given the current state of the army, they might be able to delay time by covering the rear, but there was no chance of winning in a head-on battle.

Unable to advance or retreat, Chu Shizhao gritted his teeth and said, "Hang branches on the horses' tails and create a commotion in the direction of Liangzhou, so that the Xiongnu will mistakenly think that the troops from Liangzhou are coming soon."

"The situation is not good, so you should go north to Liangzhou and temporarily rely on the Liangzhou Jiedushi Huan Jie. I am on good terms with his brother Huan Sheng, and he will definitely not treat you unfairly."

"What about you, Your Highness?" These riders had experienced a night of bloody fighting and running back and forth, and everyone looked exhausted.

After hearing Chu Shizhao's words, everyone began to mobilize again.

"I will face them alone." Chu Shizhao took a deep breath. "When they see me, they will definitely be curious and may not dare to attack directly. I will deal with them for the time being."

"The only way to be rescued now is to create mystery and confuse the enemy."

At this time, Chu Shizhao could only try the empty city plan, which was the only strategy that seemed to be effective.

The most important thing is that Chu Shizhao has no other choice.

Chu Shizhao's performance tonight had already won the hearts of these soldiers, which was why these cavalrymen were willing to cover the infantry troops with one heart. Now, when they heard that Chu Shizhao wanted them to set up a decoy force and fight against the main force of the Huns alone, and even found a retreat for them, everyone showed complicated emotions.

A feeling of "a gentleman will die for his confidant" arises spontaneously.

"Your Highness." Someone said, "I am willing to die with Your Highness. Setting up such a deception will make no difference to you dying alone."

"My family is full of heroes. Now that I am dead on the battlefield, I will be honored by our ancestors. Please allow me to follow Your Highness and fight the enemy together."

Once one person spoke, the rest of them showed a determined look. They all spoke up. In their opinion, the strategy of confusing the enemy with a new one set up by Chu Shizhao was only to preserve the lives of their soldiers, while he was heading for death.

With such a commander, how could they be willing to let him down?

"This is a military order." Chu Shizhao said coldly: "If we flee, the Xiongnu will think that we have run out of tricks and are fighting to the death. The only way is to confuse the enemy. Maybe I still have a chance of survival."

"If I die, then you die. What is there to cherish?"

"All the soldiers have their homes behind them, and their wives and children are waiting for good news. But I am alone, and I am the only one guarding my own country. It is an honor to die in Chang'an."

"There's no need to be so shy." Chu Shizhao said as he raised his spear.

The others looked at each other, still showing no intention of moving.

"Why don't you take action? Do you really want me to die here?"

Chu Shizhao looked at everyone around him.

Soon, one of them moved. He pulled the reins and said in a low voice, "Take care, Your Highness."

When one person moved, the others followed suit and began to deploy decoy troops in other directions.

Chu Shizhao held his breath and waited alone for the moment to meet the Huns.

(End of this chapter)