Mukteuk's Face
When I first arrived in Lishi County of Xihe Commandery, just like before, the moment I stepped into Mayi County in Anmen Commandery, the vision once again swallowed my sight whole.
A flash.
When my vision cleared, the sight of cavalrymen completely blanketing the earth came into view.
Instinctively, I understood.
Though slightly altered, that vast mounted army had been our Xiongnu forces four hundred years earlier.
They were laying siege to the city of Mayi.
The Han commander inside the besieged walls was Hanwang Hanxin.
A meritorious subject of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, he had left behind tales of Zhang Liang and others, and was a tragically executed national hero like Han Xin, and ... a namesake of his.
Well, not quite the equal of the national hero Han Xin, but he had earned some merit under the emperor and received decent treatment among the “kings who were not of the Liu clan.”
Only to be shoved to the forefront against the Xiongnu.
And it was a cruel twist that the Xiongnu at that time had been ruled by Grand Chanyu Mukteuk, which made Hanwang Hanxin’s fate especially tragic.
The mounted lord staring at the city gate was visible.
His forehead and cheeks had been roughened by the northern wind, yet his eyes burned with conviction in his conquest.
Looking at him this way, it was clear he was not staring at the city gate.
He seemed to be picturing the confrontation with Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang after the city fell.
He bore a faint resemblance to his great-grandfather Tute Ruoshi Gongzhu Chanyu.
His elder uncle Hozheng and grandfather Qiangqu as well.
His father Yufuluo too.
Then ... perhaps I resembled him as well.
His name was Grand Chanyu Mukteuk, or Bagatur in our tongue—the hero.
Cruel and ruthless, yet the first to introduce the concept of “nation” to our Xiongnu.
Above Mukteuk’s head, the golden crown gleamed. The cloth hat held a three-part golden crown.
At the bottom, a full circle wrapped once around the head.
Above it, a semicircle covering only the forehead and temples.
At the crown itself, eagle-shaped ornaments.
The proud form of the Yingzheng Golden Crown that symbolized the Grand Chanyu of our Xiongnu.
The city gate opened.
Hanwang Hanxin emerged barefoot, head bowed, carrying a coffin on his back.
The Xiongnu army and the various non-Han cavalry who served with them—Gekgon, Jeongryeong and others—watched with cold eyes as the man who had only recently been called “king” surrendered.
Hanwang Hanxin approached and knelt before Mukteuk.
“Grand Chanyu!”
A desperate cry rang out across the desolate plain where the siege stretched.
“This sinner Hanxin begs for mercy! Please kill me who dared to oppose the Tangling and Daeseonu (the Chanyu who is the son of Tengri) and raised weapons against you, but only followed your orders, and spare the lives of the soldiers and people who obeyed my command!”
Mukteuk, still mounted, rode forward toward Hanwang Hanxin.
At a distance where he could trample him underfoot at any moment, Mukteuk reined in. Then he spoke.
“Hanxin. You and your predecessors, the Han kings, have fought our ‘In-gungji-guk (the country of those who draw bows)’ for many long years.”
Since the Warring States period, hundreds of years.
“But today I end this fight here.”
Hanxin lowered his neck long.
Yet the words that left Mukteuk’s mouth were not what Hanxin expected.
“Rise, Hanxin. Put down the coffin.”
To Hanxin, who lifted his head with a puzzled expression, Mukteuk said.
“I will overthrow Han and destroy the emperor. Han will become part of the In-gungji-guk, not Han. Mount your horse, Hanxin! You will be the vanguard on the road to Chang’an!”
With those words, the “second” vision ended.
***
Once more a flash of light.
The vision seen from Mayi County had been two.
The figure who appeared in the “third” vision resembled Mukteuk from the previous vision, yet was a different person.
Just as before, I naturally knew who he was. He was Mukteuk’s grandson, the Junshin Daeseonu.
Inside Junshin Daeseonu’s tent, Han army prisoners knelt.
“So ... this is where the 300,000-strong army of Emperor Wu Liu Che is ambushed?”
The prisoners nodded frantically at Junshin Daeseonu’s question.
Grasping at the last thread of hope for survival, they would nod for the rest of their lives if the Daeseonu wished.
Junshin Daeseonu flicked his hand.
The prisoners were dragged away with howls. Moments later came the sounds of throats being cut, like slaughtering livestock.
Junshin Daeseonu bared his teeth at his subordinates.
“That merchant Nie Yi deceived us.”
After a moment of thought, Junshin Daeseonu reached his conclusion.
“We withdraw the army. We will reorganize the troops. Emperor Wu broke the peace treaty and invaded his younger brother while being his elder brother. The elder brother’s country should rightly punish the younger brother’s!”
***
Anmen Commandery Mayi County First Entry Special Event, ‘Hanwang’s Surrender’ event viewed.
Still unable to govern Anmen Commandery Mayi County, no stat correction received.
Anmen Commandery Mayi County First Entry Special Event, ‘Mayi Ambush’ event viewed.
Still unable to govern Anmen Commandery Mayi County, no stat correction received.
It doesn’t matter.
After all, becoming the ruler of the Xiongnu is a future matter for me.
Right now, the important thing is not receiving stat correction.
The two visions had given me important clues to live in this world of the Three Kingdoms.
The first was “Hanwang’s surrender.”
Mukteuk had accepted Hanwang Hanxin’s surrender, not only recognized his position as Hanwang but also used him as a vanguard.
Hanwang Hanxin had devoted loyalty to Mukteuk until the moment he died, not to Liu Bang.
The second was the “Mayi ambush” incident.
In that incident, the merchant “Nie Yi” who had deceived Junshin Daeseonu.
Later, the Nie clan would incur the grudge of the Xiongnu ... change their surname to Zhang and hide.
Zhang.
Thinking about it, that person had originally been from here, Anmen Commandery Mayi County.
From Bing Province he had followed Liu Bu,
after surrendering to Cao Cao he had excelled at the Battle of Guandu,
pacified Hebei and even crossed into Wuhuan lands,
a famous general who slaughtered Sun Quan’s army with only eight hundred cavalry at Hefei.
Zhang Liao.
Originally he should have been Nie Yi’s descendant and borne the name Nie Liao.
He must be here.
Just as I had forgiven Junshin Daeseonu and the hundred-year grudge from Nie Yi, was I to resolve the grudge with Zhang Liao?
By forgiving him.
I needed to find him. But since I did not know how my great-grandfather or other Xiongnu influential figures would react, I would do it secretly.
***
While I searched for where Zhang Liao was in the Mayi area, Emperor Liu Hong had sent Wang Fu here.
Under the pretext of supervising the suppression army.
Yet that eunuch Wang Fu, perhaps because he was not good-hearted, kept having a pale face and refused to leave the city of Mayi County.
If he were a suppression army supervisor, I had expected him to interfere in various ways and be troublesome.
Well, better than a man who knew nothing of military strategy and interfered for no reason.
“Hide quietly inside that fortress that is about four hundred years older than what I saw in the vision.”
I whispered to my great-grandfather’s ear and began to influence the duke.
“Liu Bu is important. Although he cannot command a large army right now, he will make a great contribution in this expedition.”
Grandfather was trying to use me and Tengri faith to increase control over the entire Xiongnu, but ... at the same time, he did not seem to have no fondness for me.
“Liu Bu, Liu Bu. Yeah. Your martial arts teacher, right. You saved me ... and I heard that you saved many Xiongnu from the scholars’ invasion several times.”
“It’s not just because I like Liu Bu. Tengri’s will is with Liu Bu too.”
“My will is not with him. Exactly.”
“But with just this, I won’t be able to influence the place where Zhang Min and the strategist discuss.”
“Just as prophecies always point vaguely somewhere, people casually dismiss the ambiguity of prophecies regardless of the depth of their faith.”
“Tute Ruoshi Daeseonu was the same.”
“So, I need to tell a more detailed story.”
“It’s not just Liu Bu. Tengri’s will is also with Sun Jian, the tiger from Yang Province.”
Tute Ruoshi Daeseonu paused.
“With Sun Jian too?”
“Oh, is this working?”
“Of course, I wasn’t casually mentioning the names of Liu Bu or Sun Jian. There was reason on my part to weave strategy and tactics closely linked with the two people.”
“First, both will survive this war.”
“Different from Zhang Min, the commander, surviving. Liu Bu and Sun Jian will be on the front line.”
“Moreover, I was confident that the two would excel in this war.”
“Zhang Min, Ha Yu, Tian Yan all take responsibility for the defeat and are imprisoned, but Liu Bu rises to the position of Zhubu from Bing Province, and Sun Jian becomes Xian Sheng again in Xuzhou.”
“If I fight alongside those two, even if I don’t win, I can reduce the damage compared to the original history.”
“I wanted to instill confidence in Tute Ruoshi Daeseonu, so I declared.”
“Yes.”
“...Understood. I’ll discuss it with the Zhonglangjiang protecting the Xiongnu. You are,”
“I will go with Liu Bu. Because Tengri told me to look with my own two eyes.”
***
After the old Tute Ruoshi Daeseonu sent his great-grandson out, he called his second son Hozheng.
“Has there been any time you told Liu Bao something about Sun Jian?”
“... ? No, father.”
“Then how did Sun Jian’s name come out of that boy’s mouth.”
“What did Liu Bao say exactly?”
“My teacher Liu Bu or Sun Jian, the tiger of Yang Province, said that Tengri’s will would be with us.”
“... It may be that a child who hears Tengri’s voice again in our family, as your father said.”
Tute Ruoshi Daeseonu quietly looked at his middle-aged son’s face.
Hidden in Hozheng’s face was an emotion that he also knew well.
Envy, anxiety.
Hozheng would become the next Daeseonu as Left Wise King, but there was no child like Liu Bao among Hozheng’s descendants.
Xiongnu history, where succession was not only between father and son, but also between brothers and cousins.
Thinking about that history, Hozheng was probably worried that his descendants might eventually be driven out.
“Left Wise King.”
So Tute Ruoshi Daeseonu deliberately called his son by title rather than name.
“Yes.”
“You must become a great Daeseonu. Not only me, but also your grandfather Li Ling Daeseonu, or rather, the Daeseonu who surpassed even Hohan Ya Daeseonu who unified the Xiongnu from Eastern Xiongnu.”
“The only way to protect your descendants is that. Tute Ruoshi Daeseonu gave that advice to his son who was past the age to give advice.”
“With the heart that his second son should not harm his younger brother’s family.”
Left Wise King Hozheng answered with head bowed.
“I will keep it in mind.”
***
“Are you really going like this?”
Just like the day I first met Liu Bu, and like when I went to meet Cai Yong, I started marching with Liu Bu sitting in front of him.
“It’s no problem if you take me along. This ‘Red Hare’ is smart enough to understand my master’s leg movements without reins.”
“That is, but the appearance is a bit ...”
“The appearance of a warrior going to the battlefield taking care of a pet is not very nice.”
“Let’s say it’s an amulet that brings good luck.”
“Where is such a big amulet.”
I let out my teacher’s complaint with a whistle song.
“I did well to come out like this.”
“Because I can see with my own eyes the appearance of the Xiongnu army marching closely attached to the unit Liu Bu belongs to.”