Chapter 160: Great Melee, Wusun Also Drawn In

Chapter 160: The Great Melee - Wusun is Drawn In

Bing Wengu was signaling with flags under the torchlight, while the frontier army watched the signals and changed their formation accordingly. The Xiongnu, inexperienced in dealing with such formations, were quickly breached by the frontier army. All the soldiers immediately rushed through the gap, galloping away at full speed.

On the way, Nan Jinping noticed that the escape route seemed off and asked, "Wengu, this doesn't seem to be the route back to Fengzhou City."

Bing Wengu replied, "We're not heading back to Fengzhou; we're running towards Wusun."

"Wusun?"

"Yes, on the steppe, there's more than just the Xiongnu tribe; it also borders Wusun. Relations between them have always been tense, though they maintain a superficial peace. I plan to pin this war on the Wusun people." Bing Wengu explained his plan to Nan Jinping as he spurred his horse on.

"Let the clam and the oyster fight, and the fisherman will profit. The frontier army isn't suited for a direct confrontation with the Xiongnu right now, so we'll shift the blame."

Nan Jinping pondered that it was a cunning plan, typical of what Bing Wengu would come up with.

"I only intended to harass the Xiongnu, but when searching for the steppe wolves, I unexpectedly found a Wusun tribe. At that moment, I quietly noted it down in my mind." Bing Wengu and his men raced ahead, with the Xiongnu in hot pursuit.

Perhaps because the frontier army led by Bing Wengu showed no interest in engaging in battle and only fled, the Xiongnu pursued them more closely.

However, some Xiongnu soldiers noticed something amiss. "This isn't the route back to Fengzhou; it looks like we're heading towards Wusun."

The Left Grand Commandant squinted his eyes. "Could it be that the Xiongnu have colluded with the Dayong people, planning to attack us together?"

"It seems so; otherwise, the frontier army wouldn't be fleeing towards Wusun. They must have formed an alliance."

"Left Grand Commandant, what should we do? Should we continue pursuing them?" A Xiongnu soldier asked, "Could there be Wusun soldiers lying in ambush ahead? Are we falling into a trap?"

The Left Grand Commandant said, "Follow them and see. This might be a ruse by the frontier army. Regardless, we can't return empty-handed. Both princes died at the hands of the frontier army. If we return without achieving anything, the Chanyu will have our heads, regardless of whether we fall into a trap or not."

The Hun soldiers, recalling the mangled corpse of the crown prince, their hearts once filled with thoughts of retreat, were now instantly quelled.

Bing Wengu led the Hun soldiers across the grasslands, fighting for a while and then retreating, only to fight again after another retreat. As they neared the territory of the Wusun, Bing Wengu released his mental energy, using the terrain to create some distance between them and the Huns.

Upon reaching Wusun territory, they stopped a few hundred meters from the city walls.

Their commotion had not gone unnoticed; the Wusun soldiers were on high alert, shouting loudly.

"Magistrate, what are they shouting?" asked Conglin.

"I don't know, can't understand," replied Bing Wengu, turning to the frontier army behind him, "Is there anyone who understands?"

The frontier army all shook their heads, none could understand.

Bing Wengu kept his mental energy extended, monitoring the distance of the pursuing Hun soldiers.

"Fear nothing, it doesn't matter what they say. The Hun soldiers are about to catch up. Those who understand Hun language, step forward and challenge them," ordered Bing Wengu.

The frontier army, having fought the Huns for years, included some soldiers who spoke Hun language fluently.

Bing Wengu had deliberately brought a few such soldiers on this mission.

A few soldiers who understood Hun language asked, "Lord Magistrate, how should we challenge them?"

"Simply reveal our identity as Hun soldiers. The rest is up to you—be as insulting as possible, aiming to provoke their utmost fury, so that they won't want to hear anything but to fight to the death."

"Understood."

"We are the brave warriors of the grasslands, the fierce Hun soldiers. If you know what's good for you, hand over your grain and beauties now, and we might spare your lives today!"

"A bunch of bleating lambs, upon seeing our brave Xiongnu warriors, you still don't surrender and offer us fine wine and food. Our Chanyu said that if you understand the situation, we will spare your lives; if not, we will flatten your Wusun."

The Wusun guards were bewildered, unsure why the Xiongnu were acting so strangely.

"What are these Xiongnu shouting about? Is there anyone who understands their language?"

Soon, a Wusun soldier who understood Xiongnu was brought forward and translated for them.

At this point, the Wusun people were not particularly angry, just confused.

"Have these Xiongnu soldiers not been busy raiding the Dayong recently? Why have they suddenly come to trouble us? Could there be some misunderstanding? Ask them."

The Wusun soldier repeated his superior's words in Xiongnu.

The frontier army translated for Bing Wenggu, "They're asking if there's any misunderstanding. Magistrate, how should we respond?"

"Enrage them," Bing Wenggu replied succinctly.

"Alright." The frontier army began to curse and shout, "No misunderstanding, what misunderstanding? Our brave Xiongnu warriors have already thoroughly conquered those sheep from Dayong. Now Fengzhou is our Xiongnu's subject."

"But unfortunately, the people of Fengzhou are too poor now and can't provide much. They have offered their beauties and promised our Chanyu to pay a large amount of gold and silver annually, submitting to our Xiongnu tribe."

"Now our Chanyu has heard that your Wusun princess is very beautiful. If you are willing to offer your princess to our Chanyu for his enjoyment, and also pay a large amount of gold and silver annually like Dayong, and submit to our Xiongnu tribe, calling us your lords, the Chanyu promises not to attack your Wusun."

The face of the Wusun soldier who understood Xiongnu grew darker and darker, eventually as black as the bottom of a pot.

The Wusun soldier reported to his superior, infuriating the Wusun, "They see no oil to squeeze out of Dayong and are now setting their sights on us. Do they think we are the same kind of cowards as Dayong, assuming we are as useless as the people of Dayong!"

Bing Wenggu glanced back, "The Xiongnu soldiers are about to arrive. Thoroughly enrage the Wusun."

The frontier army, upon receiving orders, shouted, "Sheep of Wusun, open the gates quickly and welcome your new masters!"

More soldiers followed, yelling, "Kneel and submit, and we will ensure your safety! Hand over your pretty women for our enjoyment, and we won’t slaughter you cowards!"

"Ha ha ha..."

Bing Weng led the other soldiers in laughter, their raucous cackles thoroughly enraging the Wusun.

"Go down and deal with them. This is our Wusun territory; how can we let these Xiongnu defecate on us!"

"There are only a few Xiongnu soldiers below. They dare to come to Wusun’s land and taunt us. Could there be a trap?"

"This is right at our doorstep. Are you afraid of traps? Do you want the Xiongnu to invade before you stop fearing traps?"

"Even if there is a trap, this is our home. We can just call for help. Are we going to fear them now that we’ve been insulted so much? If we still don’t dare to fight back, we’ll truly become meek little sheep."

Enraged, the Wusun soldiers, emboldened by being on their own turf, rushed out to confront the enemy without a second thought.

Seeing the Wusun soldiers coming to fight, Bing Weng led the frontier army to turn and run, cursing all the while.

The frontier army’s curses were varied and foul, infuriating the Wusun so much that they forgot about any potential ambushes ahead.

Before long, they ran straight into the pursuing Xiongnu soldiers.

At this moment, Bing Weng ordered the frontier army who knew the Xiongnu language to shout at the Xiongnu soldiers, "Charge! Kill them until not a single piece of armor remains, and make them submit forever!"

This command had no subject, leading the Xiongnu to think it was directed at them, while the Wusun assumed it was the Xiongnu soldiers rallying their comrades to attack them.

Thus, when the two armies met, they engaged in battle without hesitation.

The frontier army dressed in Xiongnu attire mingled among the two forces. Soon, the Xiongnu could no longer distinguish between the frontier army and their own men, and they had to give up trying to identify the frontier soldiers, focusing instead on fighting the Wusun.

As for the frontier army, they stirred chaos among the two forces. They hung a red cloth on their horses; seeing a horse with a red cloth meant it was one of their own, and they would not attack. Whether they were helping the Wusun or the Xiongnu, to avoid arousing suspicion among the Wusun soldiers, they appeared to be aiding the Xiongnu against the Wusun, but secretly hindered the Xiongnu.

For them, survival was paramount, and hindering the enemy was secondary.

Seeing that the Xiongnu soldiers were almost all killed and about to be defeated, Bing Wenggu ordered the soldiers who knew the Xiongnu language to shout a retreat. The scattered Xiongnu soldiers followed suit and retreated.

A group of Xiongnu soldiers mixed with the frontier army and fled desperately. The frontier army, having prepared for escape, led the way, while the Xiongnu soldiers lagged behind, inadvertently protecting the frontier army.

The Xiongnu Left Grand Military Commandant realized this strategy wouldn't work and temporarily assigned the trailing Xiongnu soldiers to intercept the Wusun soldiers, buying time for their retreat.

Another group of Xiongnu soldiers stayed behind to fight the Wusun, while the frontier army, ignoring the commands of the Xiongnu Left Grand Military Commandant, galloped away.

They ran harmoniously for a long distance, completely shaking off the pursuit of the Wusun soldiers. The Xiongnu Left Grand Military Commandant finally began to sense something was amiss.

"Something's wrong, there are spies among us!" The Xiongnu Left Grand Military Commandant realized that all the soldiers dressed as Xiongnu had run with them, and none had stayed to help the Wusun. This meant these people were still mixed in with their Xiongnu forces.

Bing Wenggu noticed the Left Grand Military Commandant's realization and did not speak in Daxia language but signaled with a flag that all the frontier army understood.

The frontier army tacitly attacked the Xiongnu soldiers around them. They knew the difference in the horses, but the Xiongnu did not. In their haste to escape, they had no time to notice such details.

When the frontier army struck, chaos ensued. The Xiongnu could not tell friend from foe, and soon a chaotic battle broke out. They indiscriminately attacked everyone around them, leading to many Xiongnu soldiers dying at the hands of their own comrades. The Left Grand Military Commandant was equally confused, and Bing Wenggu took the opportunity to sneak up and kill him.

Some Xiongnu soldiers, realizing they couldn't identify their comrades, stopped fighting and only tried to escape. Bing Wenggu and his men pursued and killed them.

Jung Lin rode up to Bing Wenggu's side and whispered, "Magistrate, there's still one hiding behind that rock."

Bing Wenggu quietly shook his head, and Jung Lin understood his meaning.

Bing Wenggu quietly ordered several soldiers who knew the Xiongnu language to start talking loudly.

"The Xiongnu are all a bunch of fools!"

"Exactly, they don't even think about how the frontier army of Dayong is just a bunch of cowards. How could they possibly kill the Great Prince, who is already a hero of the grasslands? It was only because we, the Wusun, helped by ambushing them halfway that we managed to kill their Great Prince."

"It's laughable that those fools actually believe it was done by the cowards from Dayong. How could those fools from Dayong have the skills to infiltrate the Xiongnu territory and set fire to their granaries!"

"But why are we doing this? What's the point of framing those soft eggs from Dayong? They've already been beaten into submission by the Xiongnu."

"You're really stupid, can't you figure this out?"