The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

In the heart of the Xiongnu grassland, across the vast land, the Gonglu River flows gently.

However, at this moment, the tranquility was broken, and the shouts of killing were deafening and reached the sky.

On the bloody battlefield, more than half of the 50,000-strong army had been killed, with corpses strewn all over the ground, a horrific sight.

Sima Yan stood in the ruins, looking at the tragic scene before him, his heart filled with regret and self-blame.

He tightly grasped the blood-stained long sword in his hand, ready to engage in this life-and-death battle.

Just as Sima Yan was about to rush into the enemy camp without hesitation, the deputy general beside him was quick-witted and quickly reached out to hold him tightly.

The deputy general's face was filled with anxiety, and he shouted loudly: "General Sima, please don't be impulsive!"

Sima Yan frowned, turned to look at the deputy general, and was about to scold him.

At this time, the deputy general pointed to the distance and said anxiously: "General, look over there!"

Looking in the direction of the deputy general's finger, Sima Yan couldn't help but feel happy.

In the distance, dust was rising and an army under the flag of Qin was rushing towards them like a gust of wind.

Looking closely, they saw that they were actually 10,000 elite cavalrymen. They were riding tall horses, their hooves flying, and their momentum was as high as a rainbow.

The leader was Meng Yuan.

"General Meng Yuan!" Sima Yan's voice trembled with excitement, his eyes instantly became moist, and a glimmer of hope of survival flashed in his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Meng Yuan took the lead and rushed into the Hun army camp like a flash of lightning.

The spear in his hand was dancing vigorously, with a cold light flashing. Every swing brought up a string of blood flowers, and it was unstoppable.

Wherever they went, the Hun soldiers fell to the ground and died with screams.

Meng Yuan roared, echoing throughout the battlefield: "Brothers, follow me and fight bravely!"

The lieutenants behind him were equally brave and fearless, and each of them was agile.

They drew their bows left and right, the bowstrings clanged, and sharp arrows shot towards the Huns like meteors chasing the moon. For a moment, arrows rained down and the Huns' encirclement was immediately disrupted.

Maodun rode on a tall warhorse, gazing at the enemy reinforcements surging in the distance.

The battlefield was filled with a strong smell of blood and smoke, and the sounds of shouting and weapons clashing were endless.

After a fierce battle, our side successfully killed tens of thousands of Qin troops, which was considered a partial victory.

But at this time, the appearance of Qin army reinforcements made the situation tense in an instant.

At this moment, the morale of the Qin army was greatly boosted by the arrival of reinforcements. They shouted slogans and rushed towards the Xiongnu army with great momentum.

Maodun knew very well that given the current balance of power between the two sides, it would be almost impossible to completely defeat the Qin army in a short period of time.

He frowned, thought for a moment, and then decisively gave the order to withdraw.

As the horn sounded, the Hun soldiers began to retreat in an orderly manner.

The sound of horse hooves echoed across the fields, raising clouds of dust.

On the other side, Sima Yan looked at the Hun army moving further and further away, and his tense heartstrings finally relaxed slowly.

Sima Yan walked quickly to Meng Yuan.

His face was filled with guilt as he said, "General Meng Yuan! If you hadn't arrived in time with your army, my troops would have been killed by the Xiongnu..."

Meng Yuan quickly reached out to support Sima Yan, patted him on the shoulder and said, "General Sima, don't feel guilty. Victory and defeat are common in the military. We are friends who have risked our lives. Now that the enemy has retreated, the most urgent task is to quickly reorganize our troops."

Sima Yan nodded heavily.

On the other hand, Wu Chen, a member of the rebel army, led 3000 rebels, including Zhang Er, Chen Yu and others, crossed the Yellow River from Baimazin and headed north to attack the former Zhao territory.

After Wu Chen's army crossed the Yellow River, they did not immediately attack the city. Instead, they fully utilized the characteristics of famous scholars such as Zhang Er and Chen Yu and went to various counties in Zhao to lobby.

Under the lobbying of Zhang Er and Chen Yu, more than ten cities in Zhao surrendered without any effort, and the number of troops suddenly increased to tens of thousands.

As the number of troops increased, Wu Chen became more arrogant, so without asking Chen Sheng for permission, he proclaimed himself "Wu Xin Jun".

In the camp in Handan, Wu Chen sat together with Zhang Er and Chen Yu.

"This time we were able to take over most of Zhao's territory so smoothly, thanks to your wisdom and eloquence." Wu Chen said with a smile.

Zhang Er smiled modestly and said, "Lord Wuxin, you are too kind. This is the result of our appreciation for your wise leadership and the joint efforts of everyone involved."

Chen Yu continued, "However, the defenders of some cities still refuse to surrender. How should we deal with them?"

A fierce look flashed in Wu Chen's eyes. "Since these stubborn people refuse to surrender, don't blame me for being rude. After I capture the city, I will kill the county magistrate and some officials as a warning to others."

Sure enough, when Zhao heard the news, more than 30 cities surrendered without fighting.

After Wu Chen's rebel army easily captured most of Zhao's territory, they led their troops back to Handan.

Zhang Er and Chen Yu heard that Zhou Wen's troops, which were attacking Qin in the west, were defeated by Zhang Han, and that most of the rebel generals were killed by Chen Sheng because of slander, and they could not help but feel sad and angry.

Their dissatisfaction with Chen Sheng grew stronger and stronger, and they also resented that Chen Sheng did not adopt their strategy and only gave them the position of captain instead of general.

In the former palace of King Zhao in Handan, Zhang Er and Chen Yu stood in front of Wu Chen with serious expressions.

Zhang Er bowed and said, "Your Majesty, after conquering Chen County, the King of Chen declared himself king. Now, more and more people are following him. This shows that becoming king does not necessarily require being the descendant of the princes of the six kingdoms."

Chen Yu then said, "Yes, Your Majesty, you have conquered dozens of Zhao cities with only 3000 soldiers. Such a glorious military achievement will undoubtedly be slandered and defamed by villains. If you do not make plans soon, I am afraid that King Chen will harm you in the future!"

Wu Chen frowned slightly, lost in thought. He knew that what Zhang Er and Chen Yu said was not without reason, but declaring himself king would mean breaking with Chen Sheng, a considerable risk.

After some careful consideration, Wu Chen finally spoke: "You two are quite right. I understand the pros and cons of this matter. However, declaring oneself king is not an easy task. We must proceed with caution."

Zhang Er and Chen Yu exchanged a glance and spoke in unison, "Your Majesty, Chen Sheng said, 'Are kings, princes, generals, or ministers truly of the same species?' He can do it, and so can you! We are willing to follow him until death, and together we will accomplish great things!"

A glint of determination flashed in Wu Chen's eyes. He stood up and said loudly, "Alright! In that case, we will declare ourselves kings and make Handan our capital!"

Zhang Er and Chen Yu were delighted when they heard this.

Immediately, Wu Chen decided to appoint Zhang Er and Shao Sao as left and right prime ministers, and Chen Yu as general.

At this point, the State of Zhao was officially restored and Wu Chen became the King of Zhao.

At this time in southern Xinjiang, Jiang Huang was in a hurry, carrying Hu Hai's edict and his entourage, and was rushing to Panyu City in Nanhai County without stopping.

However, when Ren Qi and Zhao Tuo received Zhao's letter, they did not immediately execute the order as Jiang Huang expected.

Instead, the two exchanged glances, seemingly having already reached a tacit understanding. Ren Qi found an excuse to temporarily leave Jiang Huang in the prefectural governor's mansion to rest.

The atmosphere in the prefect's mansion was solemn. Ren Qi frowned and paced back and forth in the room, filled with worry. Zhao Tuo sat in a chair, thinking quietly.

"Brother Tuo, I always feel that what we are doing is not appropriate," Ren Qi said with a frown.

"Brother, the current situation is not favorable to us. Taking part in the fight will only put my southern Xinjiang army in greater danger." Zhao Tuo replied.

"But, brother Tuo, will this be seen as disloyalty?" Ren Qi said worriedly.

"Brother, we are not disloyal. We are just considering the people of the three counties of Nanhai. If we get involved in the fight, it will inevitably lead to war and the people will suffer." Zhao Tuo explained.

Ren Qi nodded in agreement.

Since the three counties of Nanhai are backed by mountains and face the sea, stretching thousands of miles from east to west, they have natural geographical advantages. Therefore, after some discussion, Ren Qi and Zhao Tuo decided not to participate in the struggle in the Central Plains for the time being and to divide the land and govern it separately.

So, the two men first detained Jiang Huang, and then forged an imperial edict from Qin II, ordering the commanders of Hengpu Pass, Yangshan Pass, Huangxi Pass and other places in the northern part of the Nanhai Army to say that the bandits were coming and to block the roads and set up troops for defense.