Dream of the Red Chamber: From a Border Ruffian to a Capital Tyrant

"The Left Wise King and his men suffered heavy losses this time, so it's only natural that they would be angry."

"However, please rest assured, my son Modu will lead his elite troops as the vanguard in tomorrow's siege. All you leaders need to do is stay behind and watch how my son breaks through the city."

Upon hearing this, the people in the tent, who had been silent and trembling, immediately showed expressions of wild joy.

It seems that Touman Chanyu has finally decided to bleed money.

In their view, Touman Chanyu's previous actions were nothing more than a means to weaken the Dingling, Helianluo and other tribes by using the Qian people's knife.

Now, it's time to reap the rewards, and Touman is finally going to use his core strength.

In an instant, all sorts of nauseatingly flattering words poured out like a tide. After all, good words are free and don't cost any of our own warriors, so why not say a few more?

As for how many people died in the Left Wise King's tribe and the Helian Luo and Aosu tribes, what does that have to do with them?

"Alright."

"Let's save that flattery for after we take the city tomorrow."

"You leaders must be tired today. Drink this cup of wine and go back to rest early."

"Once we capture Yanmen Pass tomorrow, this Chanyu will drink with you all until we're drunk!"

Touman Chanyu rose and raised his wine cup, his voice booming like thunder.

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up, tilted their heads back, and drank their wine in one gulp.

However, just as everyone turned to leave the tent, the eldest prince of Maodun, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke in a sinister tone:

"Please wait, esteemed leaders. Tomorrow's battle is crucial to the great cause of our Xiongnu."

"After nightfall tonight, I would like to invite everyone to move to the main tent in the northeast corner for a discussion. We need to discuss together how to completely annihilate those two-legged sheep tomorrow, so as to prevent any leaks."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and the atmosphere in the tent instantly became strange again, with no one daring to respond.

After a moment of deathly silence, a tribal chief forced himself to speak slowly:

"Since the Crown Prince has given the order, we will naturally obey."

Seeing this, the others had no choice but to nod in agreement, though they were filled with apprehension.

After everyone had left, Touman Chanyu and Maodun exchanged a glance, and the father and son both burst into a chilling laugh.

"Is everything ready?"

A moment later, Touman Chanyu sat back in his seat, playing with the golden cup in his hand, and asked casually.

"Please rest assured, Father, your son has laid a trap."

"Once those fools enter the tent, I will send men to lure their guards away to drink wine."

"The tent is filled with our elite troops; not even a fly will escape. We'll make sure they never return!"

Maodun grinned maliciously and made a throat-slitting gesture.

To everyone's surprise, Touman Chanyu shook his head in disappointment after hearing this.

"It's so crude, it's practically as stupid as a pig!"

"We can't openly lure those fools' guards away. If we do it too deliberately, it will alert outsiders and make it harder for us to incorporate their followers later."

Touman Chanyu took a sip of wine and slowly shook his head.

"Father, if we don't get rid of them, are you expecting me to take action in front of everyone...?"

A fierce glint flashed in Maodun's eyes, and he slashed his neck with his hand.

"madness!!"

Touman Chanyu slammed his wine cup on the table and shouted angrily.

"Those tribal chiefs must not die by our swords, at least not openly!"

"Not only that, when you discuss military matters, you need a large number of warriors to 'guard' outside the tent, but our people can mingle among them, just a smaller number."

Touman Chanyu's eyes gleamed with a cunning, fox-like light as he spoke in a low, menacing tone.

"Father, with this arrangement, can those mere eight hundred sheep at Yanmen Pass really break through?"

Maodun frowned and asked with a puzzled look.

Upon hearing this, Touman Chanyu glanced coldly at Maodun, as if looking at a good-for-nothing.

"Do you know how many elite cavalrymen your uncle, Lan, brought with him when he chased after Jia Lang a few days ago?"

"More than a thousand riders!"

"More than a thousand of the bravest warriors from various tribes, all in pursuit of Jia Lang!"

"But after your uncle Lan was killed, how many of your relatives returned alive?"

"Now tell me again, is that brat Jia Lang capable of breaking in?"

Touman Chanyu squinted, his voice low and hoarse, revealing an undisguised fear and chill in his tone.

After hearing Touman Chanyu's chilling words, Maodun was struck dumb, frozen in place as if by an invisible force.

He knew better than anyone that the most loyal and valiant warriors under his father's command had perished at Yanmen Pass at the hands of Jia Lang, whom they contemptuously called "two-legged sheep."

What terrified him was that the pursuing force his father had mentioned actually numbered over a thousand cavalry!

Those were over a thousand battle-hardened, heavily armed elites of the tribe!

Although Maodun usually boasted of his unparalleled bravery and strength, often bragging that he could defeat ten men with his bare hands, he knew perfectly well what was going on when facing such fully armed elites in a real fight.

If the weapons and armor are roughly equal, he can only manage to kill three or four people at most. If he is surrounded, he probably won't even know how he died.

And now, that Qian general named Jia Lang is able to single-handedly confront and annihilate this thousand-man team.

Upon thinking of this, Maodun felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his heart pounded wildly.

"Father Khan! Since this man is so monstrous and so incredibly brave, why don't we set up an inescapable trap this time and keep him completely on the grasslands? Otherwise, he will surely become a major threat to our Xiongnu in the future!"

Maodun's face twisted in horror, his eyes flashing with a mixture of fear and malice. He gritted his teeth and made a gesture of annihilation.

"No!"

Touman Chanyu answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"Not only should we not keep him, but we should also ensure that he leaves the grassland unharmed after he has dealt with those disobedient tribal chiefs for us."

Upon hearing this, Maodun's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his face filled with disbelief, his brows furrowed into a tight knot, staring at Touman Chanyu with the look of someone who had seen a madman:

"Father, is he getting senile?"

Of course, Maodun did not say this aloud.

However, at this moment, Modu suspected that his father, Modu Chanyu, had been bewitched by the witchcraft of the Qian people, and that he would utter such absurd words that aided the enemy.

Touman Chanyu slowly withdrew his gaze from the void and turned it to Maodun, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as he spoke earnestly:

"Heh, my son Maodun, with so many tribe leaders dead at once, what will the people think?"

"It must be filled with resentment."

"We need to find them an outlet for their hatred, a common enemy."

"That young guy is the perfect scapegoat!"

"Let him take the blame. This way, we can both eliminate our rivals and legitimately incorporate those leaderless followers. It's a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy!"

.......