The Invasion of the Xiongnu Left Wise King
When we had finished dressing, I pulled each of my wives into my arms one by one. I spoke quietly to Cai Yan.
“The Wei Merchant Guild has promised to guard this place, so remain here for the time being.”
“My lord, you need not worry about us.”
“And the moment I return, I’ll summon a renowned physician and make all the necessary preparations.”
“A physician… Ah!”
To be honest, after three straight weeks of rutting like a wild animal, if none of them conceived I would be publicly announcing to the world that I was a seedless watermelon. My lust was boundless, but that particular humiliation was something I could never tolerate.
“This time, I’m certain it took.”
“I’m hoping for the same,” she replied softly.
It had not even been four weeks yet, so in this era without pregnancy tests the only option was to wait until next month and have a doctor confirm the signs. Just then Yuan Jing stepped forward.
“I had a dream. I was boating on the Yangtze when a carp suddenly leapt out of the water and into the boat.”
“Oh, a pregnancy dream~”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m sure it took.”
Lu Ming answered with a disinterested expression, though her hand kept stroking her own lower belly. “Come back safely!”
“We’ll be waiting for you.”
After receiving the encouragement of my wives from Jiangdong, I turned to Cai Yan one last time.
“That bastard Liu Bao, the Left Wise King, I will deal with him personally.”
“I pray for your success in battle. Though… who is he?”
“I’ll tell you when I return.”
I left the genuinely puzzled Cai Yan without mentioning the events of the original history. This world might be a different dimension of the Three Kingdoms, but I still intended to crush the Southern Xiongnu—the root of so much future trouble—while I had the chance.
When I stepped outside with my sword at my waist, a great army had already descended upon the Lushan region. As expected, several men recognized me the moment I appeared.
“Is the warrior at the front perhaps Cao Ziyue, whom I saw in Xuzhou?”
“It is.”
“Hah, it really has been a long time!”
“I’m glad to see you again too, Brother Wenyuan.”
Zhang Liao, who was leading the vanguard, greeted me warmly. The fact that a man of his caliber was serving as vanguard told me just how serious this campaign was.
“I wish to see the supreme commander. Please guide me to him.”
“Gladly. Though aren’t you currently without an official post?”
“Tell him Cao Ziyue has come to serve, even if only as a common soldier.”
“And you’ve lost quite a bit of weight since we last met. Did not receiving a salary cause you to waste away?”
“Let’s stop the jokes here.”
“Hahaha, how boring. Let’s go!”
Ever since he had surrendered to Cao Cao’s army, Zhang Liao had become a difficult man to meet. On the other hand, that simply meant he had been racing across countless battlefields around the capital, subjugating bandits and rebel remnants and piling up merit.
“General Who Protects the Army, Cao Ziyue has arrived.”
“What? Who’s here? Bring him in at once!”
The familiar booming voice led me inside, where I found Xiahou Yuan waiting.
“It really is Ziyue!”
“Uncle Miaocai, I hope you’ve been well.”
“I have, and I’m glad you’ve come. Though… why does your face look like that? The circles under your eyes are practically black.”
First Zhang Liao and now Xiahou Yuan were commenting on how haggard I looked. Did I really appear that terrible?
“Anyway, this is perfect timing. I heard you were living in seclusion at Lushan, yet here you are.”
“Officially, I am a man who defied my uncle, incurred his wrath, lost his post, and was driven out.”
At that moment another welcome voice rang out.
“That is merely the public story, is it not? And this very situation gives you the perfect justification to return to the capital.”
“Dezuo!”
“Ziyue, did you enjoy your vacation?”
Yang Xiu had also come as a military advisor, assisting both Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Liao. In this situation, Xiahou Yuan handed me a new suit of armor and a helmet.
“The moment you join us, I will restore your original treatment as a Colonel, so fight to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you, Uncle Miaocai.”
“Since Colonel Cao has arrived, if we successfully repel this Xiongnu invasion, the merit should be more than enough for you to return to the capital with your head held high.”
Yang Xiu was right. Publicly I was known as a man who had opposed Cao Cao and been expelled. By now the purges around the capital should be nearly complete; if I distinguished myself here, I could return naturally.
“Then could you brief me on the current situation?”
At my question Yang Xiu began the briefing.
“First, after Dong Zhuo’s death, the four traitors—Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou—seized the Emperor in Chang’an. The story begins with Colonel Cao here escorting His Majesty all the way to Luoyang and helping him escape.”
It felt like only yesterday, yet I had spent the morning locked in passionate embrace with Cai Yan, the very connection I had made during that chaos.
“Chang’an, already in ruins, was further devastated by Zhang Ji’s death in battle, Fan Chou’s purge, and the internal strife between Li Jue and Guo Si. Taking advantage of the situation, the Southern Xiongnu rose up. Their Chanyu Yufuluo targeted the imperial carriage but was defeated and driven back.”
“That was also your doing, Ziyue. When the White Wave Bandits and the Southern Xiongnu clashed, you crossed the Yellow River and escorted the Emperor safely to Luoyang.”
When Xiahou Yuan praised me even further, Zhang Liao nodded in agreement.
“We clashed once in Xuzhou, but I see now that his military achievements were far greater than I realized. He is no mere relative of our lord who rose through nepotism.”
“It’s good that you understand, even if belatedly.”
After the small talk, Yang Xiu continued his explanation.
“After the death of Yufuluo, his younger brother Hu Chuquan became Chanyu and is now eyeing the lands of Chang’an. Under the Chanyu are the Left and Right Wise Kings. The current Left Wise King is Liu Bao, son of the previous Chanyu Yufuluo.”
He was an entirely different person from Liu Biao of Jingzhou, despite sharing the same name.
“How large is their force?”
“They number thirty thousand. Our own troops are exactly thirty thousand as well.”
“What about Chang’an’s garrison?”
“Governor of Yong Province Zhong Yuan has somehow gathered soldiers, but after years of war and famine, Chang’an’s harvest has been disastrous.”
So the city right next door had been on the brink of collapse while I had been enjoying every luxury just ten li away.
“Fortunately, our grain supplies here are abundant, and we can receive constant resupply through Wancheng. If we can simply prevent the Xiongnu from besieging Chang’an, we can drag this out into a war of attrition and eventually repel them.”
Xiahou Yuan nodded at Yang Xiu’s suggestion. The Xiongnu were currently crossing the mountains to descend into the Guanzhong plains. The route would take them through Xiliang, and there was reason to suspect those forces were involved.
“What do you all think?”
At Xiahou Yuan’s question, Zhang Liao raised his hand.
“I was born in Bing Province and have fought the Xiongnu and Wuhuan many times. Their cavalry is certainly excellent and they excel at hit-and-run tactics, but they have one weakness.”
“And what is that?”
“Since ancient times the Xiongnu have displayed explosive destructive power, but in prolonged battles they quickly lose strength. They finish too early, so to speak.”
That made sense. Cavalry-focused armies required more than twice the supplies of infantry, yet they were crossing mountains with poor logistics and attempting to end the campaign in a short time.
“Therefore, if we seize the momentum in the first battle and then link up with Chang’an’s forces, we should be able to win.”
“I see. Ziyue, what is your opinion?”
When Xiahou Yuan asked me, I spoke my thoughts. I largely agreed with Zhang Liao, but our views on formation differed slightly.
“We must balance both offense and defense. With the enemy at thirty thousand, part of our thirty thousand should assist in the defense of the city while the rest fight the Xiongnu in the field.”
“Why? Why complicate things in such a bothersome way?”
It was true that we could simply fight on open ground, or have everyone retreat inside the walls to defend. Splitting our forces to fight both inside and outside the city seemed unnecessary at first glance. But the broader context had to be considered.
“Uncle, the fact that the Southern Xiongnu have raised such a large army is no ordinary matter. There must be someone behind them.”
“What do you mean? Someone pulling strings behind the Xiongnu?”
“When the White Wave and Black Mountain bandits targeted the Emperor’s carriage during his escape from Chang’an, didn’t the Southern Xiongnu appear as mercenaries and a third faction? There is surely someone orchestrating this. That is why we must deploy elite troops outside the city as well, to crush the Xiongnu’s main commanders in direct combat.”
“Hmm… Can you say more?”
When it came to the background of the war rather than the war itself, I could speak with certainty.
“After the fall of Gongsun Zan’s clan in You Province and the absorption of his forces, the Black Mountain chieftain Zhang Yan was also defeated in Bing Province, leaving it a power vacuum. Taking advantage of that, both the Xiongnu and Wuhuan have begun to move. I have heard that both groups swore loyalty to the Yuan family of Hebei.”
“Then… you believe the mastermind behind this is Hebei?”
“Yes, Uncle. That is why we must thoroughly break the Xiongnu’s momentum this time. We must meet their cavalry with cavalry and win a contest of pure strength.”
If we simply hunkered down in a siege, they would preserve their main force and retreat, only to descend again later and cause even greater chaos.
“In that case, while supporting Chang’an we must also decide who will lead the vanguard against the Xiongnu in the field.”
“I will do it!” Zhang Liao declared confidently.
“I will take the role. This was my suggestion.” I stepped forward as well.
In truth, Xiahou Yuan was by nature a charging general who preferred using strength over wits to crush enemies. After hearing the discussion, he would surely want to personally fight the Xiongnu in open battle. Somehow, all the men in Cao Cao’s army most skilled at cavalry command had gathered in one place.
The question was who would be the first to take the head of the Xiongnu Chanyu and the Left Wise King Liu Bao.
It had become a competition.