The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Two or three days later, Meng Yi was discussing matters with Pang Bo in the tent when the guards came to report that Han Xin and Zhao Da had been spotted by patrolling soldiers.

The two men looked haggard, with pale lips, gray faces, disheveled hair, tattered clothes, and were in a daze, like candles in the wind, ready to fall down at any moment.

Meng Yi quickly helped the two sit down and poured two cups of hot tea. After a while, the two men calmed down and bowed, saying, "General Pang, Major General."

Pangbo waved his hand, indicating that the two did not need to be polite.

Zhao Da said that about 1,500 miles northwest of Tuan was the location of the Xiongnu royal court. The tribes were numerous and densely packed, like an ant colony. Captain Li Ziwei estimated that there were approximately 700,000 people.

Han Xin then added that he would recount in detail the events from the time he began tracking Tuan until Li Ziwei took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the Xiongnu camp.

Meng Yi sighed in his heart, "This Li Ziwei is indeed a talent, very smart, and can speak minority languages. He is suitable for leading secret agents."

After saying that, Pang Bo asked the two of them to go downstairs to rest.

Meng Yi said, "Brother Pang, if the Xiongnu fall for our plan, they will definitely send troops to supervise the battle against Tuan, with a maximum of 10,000 to 20,000 men. In this case, we can unite with Tuan and ambush and annihilate the Xiongnu army as planned. We can then create the illusion that our army is fighting Tuan and Yunzhong is sending reinforcements to Yanmen Pass."

Pang Bo nodded and said, "That makes sense. After all, there are still 300,000 troops stationed in Jiuyuan and Yunzhong, and the Xiongnu dare not send too many troops. If this happens, once the news reaches the Xiongnu royal court, they will seize the opportunity to invade Jiuyuan."

Then the two of them looked at the map. More than 200 miles northwest of Yanmen Pass, there was an Dongxishi Valley, which was the only way to reach Tuan.

The two looked at each other and smiled, as if they had seen the dawn of victory.

Time flew by, and four days passed in the blink of an eye. Pang Bo and Pang Qing led two thousand Qin troops on a mighty march toward the Dongxishi Valley. Meanwhile, Qin Yi and Han Xin rode tirelessly toward Tu'an. The King of Tu'an had already assembled a 30,000-strong army of elite soldiers from three tribes, commanded by Jin Shuishan, ready to be deployed by Meng Yi at any moment.

After Meng Yi and Pang Bo successfully joined forces, they split up and began setting up an ambush. Pang Qing, with a hundred cavalrymen, spread out to closely monitor any signs of movement in the northwest.

The next morning, spies came at full speed to report that a large number of people, about 15,000 in number, and 2,000 to 3,000 cattle, sheep and horses, had appeared in the northwest direction, only ten miles away from here.

Meng Yi quickly summoned Jin Shuishan, gave him instructions in person, and ordered him to lead a thousand cavalrymen to meet the Huns three miles outside Dongxishi Valley.

Immediately afterwards, Meng Yi made careful arrangements and arranged for Han Xin to lead 5,000 infantry and cavalry. When the Huns entered the canyon, he would circle around behind them to prevent anyone from escaping.

The people of Dongxishi Valley hid themselves, like dormant beasts, awaiting the arrival of the Xiongnu army. The Xiongnu army gradually became visible.

The Xiongnu left general saw a group of troops in the distance and waved his hand to signal the army to stop.

Jin Shuishan rode forward and asked loudly, "Which Xiongnu general is coming to support Tuan?"

The Xiongnu Left General proudly replied, "I am the Left General under the command of the Great Khan of the Xiongnu. I lead 15,000 cavalry and 7,000 cattle, horses and sheep to come and lend you a hand."

Jin Shuishan bowed and said respectfully, "I have long admired the reputation of General Zuo. I am General Jin Shuishan of the Left Guard under Prince Tuan. I have been ordered to come and greet you. General, please come in!"

The Xiongnu Left General did not suspect any trick and thought to himself: Although the Xiongnu cannot defeat the Yuezhi people at the moment, they do not take the Donghu people seriously at all.

So, he led his army into the Dongxia Stone Valley without hesitation.

When the Xiongnu cavalry rushed into the canyon without any preparation, the Qin army and Tuan's ambush troops suddenly rushed out like a tiger descending from the mountain, cutting the Xiongnu cavalry into several sections.

The Xiongnu cavalry suddenly fell into chaos. They tried to fight back, but the rain of arrows from the Qin-Tu coalition forces was like locusts, preventing them from getting close at all.

The Qin-Tu coalition cavalry surrounded the Xiongnu cavalry from both sides, trapping them in the middle. The Xiongnu cavalry charged left and right, but could not break through the Qin army's encirclement.

Under the fierce attack of the Qin-Tu coalition, the Xiongnu cavalry fell one after another, and their blood dyed the canyon red. Their screams echoed in the valley, making people shudder. Some Xiongnu cavalry began to surrender, but the Qin-Tu coalition did not stop their attack, they were determined to wipe out these invaders.

In the end, the Xiongnu cavalry was completely wiped out by the Qin-Tu coalition forces, and their bodies were lying in all directions in the canyon.

Han Xin caught three or four hundred fish that had escaped the net and executed them all.

After counting the captured supplies, there were 10,000 war horses, 3,000 cattle and sheep, and countless leather armors and scimitars, which was dazzling.

Meng Yi felt a little regretful when he saw that nearly half of the war horses, cattle and sheep were damaged. Fortunately, all the Huns had been wiped out, so he ordered people to quickly clean up the battlefield and erase all traces of the battle.

Pang Bo asked Pang Qing to arrange a hundred scouts to continue monitoring the northwest direction like hawks.

Pang Bo happily returned to Yanmen Pass with his men, six thousand war horses, and a thousand cattle and sheep.

That night, the Qin army's food was greatly improved, and the civilians also drank steaming hot broth.

The next day, according to the previous plan, Jin Shuishan of the Tuan tribe led 20,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Yanmen Pass.

The commander of Yanmen Pass asked for help from Yunzhong, and reported urgently that Tuan San's troops led 80,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Yanmen Pass, and asked the general to provide quick rescue.

After receiving the urgent report, Meng Tian quickly summoned the generals of various armies, including Meng Yuan of the Central Guard Camp, Bai Lin of the Left Guard Camp, Sima Yan of the Right Guard Camp, and Li You of the Vanguard Camp, who all came to discuss the matter.

Immediately, Meng Tian announced that Meng Yuan of the Central Guard Camp would lead an army of 50,000 to Tu'an for support, and Sima Yan of the Right Guard Camp would lead an army of 50,000 to garrison Jiuyuan.

Meng Tian sent Meng Yuan to lead the army to Tu'an because he needed Meng Yuan to lead the army to a detour northward, like a sharp sword piercing the Xiongnu royal court. Meng Yuan knew Meng Yi's identity and was willing to adopt Meng Yi's strategy.

The message for help quickly flooded into the Xiongnu royal court and the Xianyang Palace like a torrent.

In the Xianyang Palace, Qin Shihuang sat upright on the throne, solemn and dignified, like an unshakable mountain.

He wore a crown and a black robe embroidered with exquisite dragon patterns. The dragons were lifelike, as if they would take off into the sky at any time, symbolizing his supreme power.

Ying Zheng was holding a roll of paper documents in both hands, reading them intently, frowning from time to time, nodding slightly from time to time, as if he was having a silent conversation with the document.

His eyes revealed a sense of majesty and decisiveness, as if everything was under his control. The desk was piled high with bamboo slips and silk books, these were official documents sent from various places, like a small mountain, waiting for his processing.

The palace is filled with a light scent of sandalwood, creating a sense of tranquility and solemnity. A large folding screen depicts magnificent scenes of mountains and rivers, showcasing the vast territory of the Qin State like a magnificent scroll.

Upon hearing this news, Ying Zheng turned to the guards beside him and asked in a voice as resounding as a bell, "Are there any military reports regarding the war in the north?"

The guard replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, there is no military report, only a letter from General Meng."

Ying Zheng opened the letter and immediately understood Meng Tian's plan: to feign a major battle between the Qin army and the Tuan tribe to paralyze the Xiongnu, and then, unexpectedly, to attack the Xiongnu royal court via Tuan. He felt a sudden sense of relief. He then read that Meng Tian had mentioned that, while on a border patrol, he had found his long-lost brother, Meng Yi, who had invented a means of transportation that had accelerated the construction of the Northern Great Wall.

Ying Zheng couldn't help but admire in his heart: "The Meng family is full of loyal and brave people, and they are indeed full of talented people."

Ying Zheng closed the letter, gently stroking the paper with his fingers, as if feeling its texture, and said, "From now on, all official correspondence will be on paper."

When the Xiongnu royal court learned the news, the Great Khan Touman and everyone else were ecstatic, and the entire royal court was immersed in joy.

So after careful consideration, the Great Chanyu Touman resolutely decided to march towards Jiuyuan.

Immediately, the Left Xian King and the Right Rizhu King each led 5,000 brave and skilled cavalrymen to guard the safety of the royal court. After all, those still remaining in the royal court included the underage princes and grandsons, as well as the princes and nobles of the Xiongnu tribes and their relatives, totaling over 10,000 people.

At the same time, the Great Chanyu Touman personally led the army to the battle. He led the Right Wise King, the Left Riju King and the left and right great commanders, totaling 280,000 elite cavalry, and set out on the expedition in a mighty manner.

In addition, they also brought 250,000 people and more than 100,000 fat cattle and sheep with them. Most of these people were slaves, because the Xiongnu were a people on horseback and were not good at agricultural production. They mainly relied on animal husbandry to make a living.

At this moment, Touman's heart burned with ambition. He gazed greedily into the distance, intending to seize the perfect opportunity while the main force of the Qin army was diverted to launch a stunning attack, capture Jiuyuan City in one fell swoop, and bring the fertile Hetao Plain into his own hands. He believed his plan was flawless, undetectable, but he was unaware that he had fallen into a trap carefully laid by Meng Tian.

Like a surging tide, the Xiongnu army advanced southward across the vast grasslands. The clatter of their horses' hooves echoed like rolling thunder across the grasslands. This vast army was imposing, like a violent storm, sweeping in with overwhelming force.