Chapter 158: Executing Bugeya, Celebration

Chapter 158: The Execution of Bugya and the Celebration

"Wen Gu, what he said does make some sense. Should we use him to negotiate peace with the Xiongnu Chanyu?" Nan Jinping asked.

Apart from Nan Jinping, no one else spoke. Bing Wen Gu had led them to victory against the Xiongnu; he was their war god. Whatever Bing Wen Gu commanded, they would follow without question.

Bing Wen Gu shook his head. "Using him to negotiate peace with the Xiongnu Chanyu is out of the question. The Third Prince is the Chanyu's favorite child, and the Chanyu has always intended to pass the throne to him. The life of an unpopular prince will not appease the Chanyu's wrath. Our only option now is to fight, to fight until the Xiongnu are forced to rest and recuperate."

Nan Jinping did not press further. He knew that Bing Wen Gu was brilliant in military strategy and did not need his interference.

Bugya's eyes were damaged, but his hearing remained intact. He could clearly hear Bing Wen Gu and the others discussing his fate with a light and casual tone, just as they once discussed the lives of the people of Dayong, with such nonchalance and indifference.

It was precisely this tone that frightened Bugya. His body bristled with goosebumps, cold sweat drenched him layer after layer, and a chill seeped through his bones.

"You can't kill me!" Bugya shouted in terror. "You killed my third brother, and my father is already enraged. If you kill me too, do you want to wage an endless war with my father?"

"Hasn't our relationship always been like this?" Bing Wen Gu replied coolly. "Do you think the Dayong people won't hate the Xiongnu soldiers for killing so many of their civilians and soldiers?"

Bing Wen Gu looked at the cornered Bugya. "The feelings of the Xiongnu Chanyu towards the deaths of you two brothers are the same as my feelings towards the deaths of the Dayong people and soldiers at your hands, if not more intense, never less."

Bugya almost instinctively retorted, "How can their lives compare to mine? Who am I, and who are they?"

"You're right, there's no comparison."

Just as Bugya was about to feel relieved, Bing Wen Gu continued, "In my eyes, the lives of the Dayong people and soldiers are far more important than yours."

"You..." Bugya barely managed to control his temper, but the burning sensation in his eyes constantly reminded him that he was at their mercy.

Bing Wen Gu gestured to the forest. "Kill him, bring me his head."

"Yes." Jung Lin didn't hesitate for a moment, wielding his great sword and charging towards Bugya.

"Are you mad, Governor of Fengzhou? Have you considered the consequences of angering my father? That would be a disaster you absolutely cannot afford..." Bugya tried to escape, but his eyes were completely burned out, leaving him unable to tell direction.

Jung Lin killed Bugya with one stroke, then returned to Bing Wengu's side, holding Bugya's head. Without a glance, Bing Wengu only instructed his men to take Bugya's head.

"Let's go back." Bing Wengu led the frontier army back to Fengzhou City.

As for the surviving Xiongnu soldiers and their horses and weapons, they were naturally taken back as well.

The people of Fengzhou City had no idea that the frontier army had engaged in battle with the Xiongnu until they saw the captured Xiongnu soldiers being brought into the city. Only then did they realize that the frontier army had fought and won against the Xiongnu without their knowledge.

First came shock and disbelief, followed by wild joy and the spreading of the news.

"Did you hear? The frontier army fought the Xiongnu!"

Upon hearing this, the people immediately dropped what they were doing and ran home in panic, shouting, "Everyone, run! The Xiongnu soldiers have invaded!"

His cry sent the surrounding people into a frenzy, scattering like sheep suddenly attacked by wolves.

Those fleeing noticed a friend who hadn't followed and turned to look, finding the friend standing there, frozen in place.

He shouted, "Are you crazy, or have you had enough of life? The Xiongnu soldiers have invaded, and you're not running?"

"You're such a coward!" The friend showed no sign of urgency, even laughing at him.

Realizing something was amiss, the fleeing person slowly stopped and said angrily, "Are you playing me?"

Seeing his friend's anger, the man quickly explained, "No, no, you misunderstood. I said the Xiongnu soldiers fought the frontier army, not that they invaded the city."

The friend was puzzled, "What's the difference between the two?"

As soon as he said this, he suddenly seemed to realize something, "You mean, this time the frontier army intercepted the Xiongnu soldiers outside Fengzhou City and didn't let them into the city?"

"Yes, and we won. I saw the frontier army capture many Xiongnu prisoners. It might be that in a few days, you and I will have the chance to slay Xiongnu soldiers again."

Hearing this, the friend fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Thank heaven and earth, the heavens have finally opened their eyes and seen the plight of Fengzhou, sending a god of war to protect us."

His words touched the hearts of many people around him. Fengzhou had long been in turmoil; how could there be a household or family that hadn't lost someone to the Xiongnu soldiers? For them, victory over the Xiongnu meant more than just winning a battle.

More and more civilians knelt down, no one organized it, but they all bowed in the direction of the government office.

The patrolling guards saw this scene and came to inquire about the situation. When they understood the reason, not only did they not blame anyone, but they also quietly wiped away their tears.

The Xiongnu soldiers were thrown into prison by Bing Wengu, and the horses were ordered to be brought back to the camp.

As long as they were still breathing, the military doctors were instructed to treat them with all their effort.

"Magistrate, some of the horses' eyes were burned by lime for too long and are now blind," the doctor sighed regretfully after examining them.

Unlike humans, once a horse goes blind, even if it is a fine steed, it becomes useless.

"Magistrate, half of these horses are blind, another two-tenths have impaired vision, and only three-tenths are usable," Lin Cong asked, "What should we do with the blind horses?"

"Keep them as long as they're alive," Bing Wengu replied.

"Keep them? But they are of no use, keeping them would just waste food," Lin Cong was puzzled.

"These are all fine warhorses of the Xiongnu. Feeding them would not be a waste of grain. They are just blind, not infertile. Their offspring will carry the excellent genes of the steppe warhorses," Bing Weng explained.

Jung Lin slapped his forehead. "This pig-brained subordinate never thought of that."

"Tell the stable hands to take good care of them and be patient. If any horse that the physician deemed could survive dies, have him report to me personally with the reason," Bing Weng sternly commanded, fearing the stable hands might not realize the importance of these horses.

"Yes, sir." Jung Lin accepted the order and then remembered something. "Sir, what about the dead horses?"

"Have the kitchen process them all and serve them to the soldiers," Bing Weng replied.

"So many horses, all of them?" Jung Lin instinctively swallowed, his mouth watering.

Bing Weng nodded. Since he joined the frontier army, the soldiers' diet had improved significantly. The soldiers could enjoy meat every few days, not in unlimited quantities, but each man could get three or five pieces, and they could soak their rice in the meat broth. The frontier army was quite content with this arrangement.

Bing Weng always believed that soldiers who won battles deserved rewards. However, since the soldiers did not contribute much this time, mostly relying on ambushes, he decided against giving them gold or silver. But a hearty meal was still necessary. As for drinking, it was forbidden in the army. He did not want his men to become addicted to alcohol.

Horse meat was a rare delicacy, hardly available even in Jixian County. Bing Weng ordered fifty pounds of horse meat to be cut for Nan Jinping, instructing him to prepare a meal and invite both families to share.

Bing Weng saw nothing wrong with this. In this battle, he had contributed the most. Without him, the outcome of the battle would have been uncertain. No one rewarded him, so rewarding himself with some horse meat seemed reasonable.

No one found it excessive, and the butchers, knowing it was for Bing Weng, even added several more pounds.

Thus, the frontier army who participated in the battle enjoyed a fragrant meal of horse meat at noon.

Although the dish included some vegetables, there was no denying that the meat was abundant, and the cuts were large.

The soldiers ate with their mouths full of oil, and those who did not participate in the battle watched with envious eyes, their gazes almost glowing green.

Seeing this, the soldiers eating felt their meat tasted even more delicious.

"Truly exhilarating, this is the life we soldiers should be living. When it's time to fight, we fight with all our might, and when we win, we feast on meat!"

"You sure have the nerve to say that. If the governor were here, would you have dared to think we could defeat the Xiongnu in the past?"

"I wouldn't have dared to think it, not even in my dreams. Back then, our only hope was for the emperor to send a princess to marry into the Xiongnu, just to secure a few decades of peace."

"Who would have thought there would come a day when we could actually defeat the Xiongnu."

Bing Wengu heard the soldiers' praise but pretended not to notice.

After the soldiers had their fill of a hearty meal, Bing Wengu selected a group of soldiers who performed well during training from the frontier army, forming an elite squad.

Jung Lin asked, puzzled, "Sir, are we going to ambush them halfway again this time?"

"No, we will launch a surprise attack," said Bing Wengu.

"Two of the Xiongnu princes have died at our hands; the Chanyu of the Xiongnu will not let this go easily. Instead of waiting for the Xiongnu to attack us, we should take the initiative."

"Only by weakening the Xiongnu to the point where they can no longer fight will they behave, allowing the people of Fengzhou to rest and recover."

Jung Lin felt both excited and nervous, but he did not back down.

"Sir, I will go with you."

Bing Wengu nodded; he had been grooming Jung Lin as his deputy. A good leader must learn to build a team.

Bing Wengu counted the men and led them deep into the grasslands. This time, Nan Jinping would also accompany him, so Bing Wengu took him along.

As for Fengzhou City, he left it in the capable hands of Shen Chengzhou, who was quite nervous about guarding the city alone for the first time. However, before leaving, Bing Wengu had set up an ambush within a hundred miles of the city walls. Even if the Xiongnu launched a sudden attack, using the same tactics as last time would still repel them.