The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

After Meng Tian arranged all the matters, he quietly returned to Yunzhong with Meng Yuan and two hundred elite cavalry.

Pang Bo then gave orders, first of all, to urge the laborers to speed up the construction of the Great Wall in the Yanmen Pass area, strive to finish it as soon as possible, and complete it before the end of November; secondly, to send scout teams to closely monitor the northeast Tuan direction and the northwest Xiongnu direction outside Yanmen Pass.

Sure enough, just two days later, scouts from Tuan in the northeast reported that the Xiongnu had already set out from Tuan to the northwest at dusk. The team led by Han Xin and Li Ziwei had already quietly followed them.

After Pang Bo heard the news, he immediately called Meng Yi and said, "Young General, just as expected, the Xiongnu have already begun to move north under the cover of darkness, and Han Xin, Li Ziwei, and his teammates have already followed them."

Hearing this, Meng Yi quickly bowed and said, "Brother Pang, please don't call me that anymore. Just call me Meng Yi."

Pang Bo smiled slightly, indicating that he was not refusing: "Okay."

Then Meng Yi said, "Brother Pang, I am planning to return to Tuan City. Firstly, I want to fulfill my brother's request; secondly, I want to discuss the details with King Tuan."

Pangbo nodded and advised, "Be careful along the way!"

Meng Yi led Ying Bu and a team of five people, disguised themselves carefully, and then rode their horses towards Tuan City.

This time, when the Tuan City guards arrived to report, it was Jin Shuishan who came out to greet them again. Meng Yi couldn't help but think to himself, "This Tuan State is really strange. It doesn't even have a single eunuch as a retainer. How can a dignified General of the Left Guard spend all his time doing this kind of things?"

In reality, Meng Yi had already unconsciously incorporated the concepts of the Central Plains dynasties into his understanding of the Tuan Kingdom. For ethnic minority tribes, population equates to labor and combat effectiveness. Although King Tuan was called a "king," his power was essentially just a slightly larger tribe. Jin Shuishan, the Left Guard General, functioned more like the commander of the imperial guard, a clear demonstration of the importance King Tuan placed on him.

After the group arrived at the side hall of the palace, Jin Shuishan led Meng Yi to meet King Tuan.

When Meng Yi entered the palace, he saw King Tuan talking to a woman. Seeing Meng Yi coming, King Tuan smiled and stood up to greet him. He introduced the woman, "Yu'er, this is General Meng's younger brother, Meng Yi."

The woman named Yu'er smiled slightly, bowed to Meng Yi, and said softly, "General Meng, this is the young king's beloved daughter, Yu Shu."

Yu Shuying bowed, bowing and nodding, "Greetings, General Meng." Her voice was clear and melodious, like the sound of a yellow oriole escaping a valley. She raised her head and secretly studied the man before her. A strange feeling welled up in her heart, as if she had seen him before, but she couldn't remember where. She shook her head secretly, wondering if she was overthinking it.

Meng Yi also secretly observed Yu Shu. He felt that the woman before him was like a fairy descended from heaven. She was beautiful, graceful, and elegant. She was truly stunning, worthy of being called the most beautiful woman in mythology. She and Meng Tian were a perfect match made in heaven. He quickly returned the greeting with a bow, saying, "Princess, please don't be so polite. You will be my sister-in-law in the future, and Meng Yi cannot accept that title."

After hearing this, Yu Shu blushed, lowered her head shyly, and slowly retreated to King Tuan's side.

Meng Yi turned around, took out a small black package from his arms, handed it to King Tuan, and said, "This is what my eldest brother asked me to pass on to my future sister-in-law."

King Tuan gave Yu Shu a look, indicating that she should take the object in front of her.

Yu Shu carefully reached out her hand and gently picked up the small black package. Her movements were gentle and cautious, as if she was holding an inestimable treasure.

As Yu Shu slowly unwrapped the package, a faint light flashed, revealing an exquisite jade bracelet. The bracelet was flawless white, crystal clear, and radiated a gentle luster, as delicate as mutton-fat jade. A faint halo seemed to linger on its surface, giving off an inexplicable warmth, as if a warm current seeped from the bracelet and seeped into one's heart.

Meng Yi's voice sounded at the right moment: "This is something that Mother left for you before she passed away. For many years, you have never left it. Now that you have handed it over to my sister-in-law, it means that you have recognized her as the future mistress of the Meng family."

Hearing this, the tension and worry on King Tuan's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a look of relief, and his whole expression became relaxed and happy.

Yu Shu held the jade bracelet even tighter, as if it was not just an ordinary bracelet, but her whole life. Her eyes were full of cherishment and tenderness, as if she was afraid that the jade bracelet would slip from her palm if she was not careful.

Meng Yi was secretly delighted, knowing full well that his action had produced exactly the effect he had hoped to see. However, he did not show it, but simply watched everything in front of him quietly.

Yu Shu realized that perhaps Meng Yi and King Tuan still had something important to discuss, so she bowed slightly, nodded her head in greeting, and quietly left the room. Her steps were light and graceful, as if she was afraid to disturb the two people inside. After leaving the room, she gently closed the door, leaving Meng Yi and King Tuan inside to continue their conversation.

King Tuan's face was filled with joy, and his excitement was beyond words. He clasped his hands together, bowed deeply to Meng Yi, and said gratefully, "General Meng, I am deeply grateful for your tireless travels back and forth this time!"

Seeing this, Meng Yi hurriedly bent down and returned the greeting with a similar bow, saying apprehensively, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is all my duty, and I truly do not deserve such praise. Besides, you will soon be my eldest brother's father-in-law. From now on, we are family! Please don't be polite with me."

King Tuan laughed heartily upon hearing Meng Yi's words. "Haha, good! If that's the case, then I won't be disloyal to you. My dear nephew, from now on, if you have anything to ask, just ask. As long as it's within my power, I won't refuse!" He paused, then smiled slightly and said, "This time, the Xiongnu spies came to visit. To dispel their suspicions, I gave them many gifts before they left."

Then, the two began to discuss in detail the combat details such as ambush, luring the enemy, and surprise attack.

The words are divided into two parts.

After returning from Tuan, the Xiongnu spies hurried back to the Xiongnu royal court, where they were summoned to a side tent by the Great Khan, Touman. The leader of the Xiongnu spies respectfully stated, "Great Khan, after extensive investigation, the three tribes of Tuan have a combined population of approximately 21, with a combat strength of nearly 10. The spies we sent previously, according to King Tuan, did not see any Xiongnu coming."

The Great Chanyu, Touman, looked puzzled but remained silent. The spy leader continued, "King Tuan is willing to lead the three tribes to attack Yanmen Pass to draw the Qin army's attention. However...he only requires us to provide them with 10,000 horses and 30,000 sheep as supplies."

The Great Chanyu Touman showed anger on his face. He turned to look at the scholar beside him and asked, "What do you think, military advisor?"

This scholar, named Zhang Ru, was a retainer of the Han nobility, skilled in the art of diplomacy. After the Han dynasty was destroyed, he fled northward, where he was taken back by a Xiongnu spy who had freed his horses, as if he had found a treasure. The Great Khan, impressed by his eloquence and strategic prowess, kept him as a treasure.

Zhang Ru pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have some doubts. First, the Tuan people have been peaceful for so many years, and this time they agreed too readily. Second, the Tuan people are being too demanding and asking for too much."

The Great Chanyu Touman nodded and said, "Military Advisor, you are quite right." He turned to the spy leader and asked, "Have you found anything else?"

The spy leader replied, "Your Highness, there are two more heads. King Tuan said the commander of Yanmen Pass attempted to seize his daughter and demanded a dowry of two thousand horses and a thousand cattle and sheep by a certain date. He politely declined, but the Qin commander secretly sent men to abduct his daughter. They were intercepted, and a fierce battle ensued. King Tuan then executed the men and asked me to bring them back before leaving. We have inquired extensively and confirmed this is indeed the case. The bodies were dumped outside Tuan City. King Tuan also said that if we refused to help, he would move his entire clan eastward."

After a moment, Zhang Ru said, "Your Majesty, this is plausible, but we must proceed with caution. Supporting horses and sheep is possible, but the quantity must be reduced."

Great Chanyu Touman waved his hand. After the spies' leader withdrew, he said in a deep voice, "This Hetao region has been a place where our people have grazed horses and sheep since ancient times. Meng Tian has 300,000 troops stationed in Jiuyuan and Yunzhong, which is truly difficult to deal with. Currently, our people only have about 300,000 armored men, so we certainly cannot send them all out. The Yuezhi in the west are also eyeing our people covetously. Only by having the Donghu people in Tuan attract Meng Tian's attention can we seize the opportunity to retake Hetao."

The Great Chanyu Touman then summoned the Left and Right Wise Kings, the Left and Right Riju Kings, the Left and Right Grand Generals, and the Left and Right Grand Commandants for a meeting. After careful deliberation, they concluded that the Left Grand General would lead his 15,000 elite cavalry to the Tuan tribe to oversee the battle. Simultaneously, the Right Grand General would lead 30,000 cavalry to the Xiongnu-Yuezhi border area to establish a defensive presence. Furthermore, the Left Wise King and the Right Riju King would each lead 5,000 cavalry to maintain the security of the royal court. The Great Chanyu Touman personally led the Right Wise King, the Left Riju King, and the Left and Right Grand Commandants, totaling 280,000 cavalry, to seize the opportunity and launch a swift offensive southward.

He selected two thousand strong war horses and five thousand fat cattle and sheep as the troops, and chose a day to follow General Zuo to Tuan.

The next morning, the sun had just risen and a thin layer of morning mist filled the grassland.

With a rousing blast of trumpets, the Xiongnu tribes began to move. Two massive armies advanced in separate directions, west and southeast. One group numbered no fewer than 30,000, carrying 20,000 to 30,000 slaves and a large number of cattle and sheep. The other, numbering perhaps 10,000, drove cattle and horses toward the southeast.

All this was under the surveillance of Li Ziwei and others.