RNP Page 351
Page 351
"Could they have escaped from the Xiongnu camp?" Wang Shuo asked. "Perhaps they are Han Chinese!"
“It’s possible…it looks like those Xiongnu are chasing them,” Chang Yuchun murmured. But the Xiongnu were already very close to the city. Upon closer inspection, Chang Yuchun said, “No! They shouldn’t be Han Chinese! They’re Xiongnu!”
The Xiongnu began waving their arms, as if they could see the Han soldiers on the city wall.
"What's going on? This is too much!" Wang Shuo was a little incredulous. "These Xiongnu people wouldn't want us to help them, would they... Don't they know how tense the relationship between the Han and the Xiongnu is..."
Chang Yuchun didn't answer, but went straight downstairs. "Prepare the horses! Bring me my spear!" Wang Shuo was about to follow and persuade him, but Chang Yuchun hurriedly ordered, "Wang Shuo, you command from the city wall!" After saying that, he ran downstairs, mounted his horse, and charged out with only a hundred or so cavalrymen.
Chang Yuchun hadn't gone far when the Xiongnu soldiers arrived. Some of the fallen soldiers immediately drew their swords, others nocked arrows, and drew their bows fully, ready to fight. Seeing this, the Xiongnu soldiers frantically waved their hands, stammering in Chinese, "No! Help...help me!"
Chang Yuchun quickly raised his hand: "Don't hurt those Xiongnu people! Don't attack without my order!"
Chang Yuchun charged alone towards the Xiongnu soldiers. Wang Shuo, watching from the city wall, was startled. Wasn't Chang Yuchun afraid of a sneak attack? "Prepare the bows and arrows!" Wang Shuo shouted frantically. "Protect General Chang!"
Chang Yuchun rushed up to the Xiongnu, who were taken aback. Chang Yuchun noticed that these men were dressed in luxurious silk, a garment only Han nobles could afford. Their heads and bodies were adorned with various Xiongnu ornaments, and they wore curved swords at their waists. "Who are you! Why are you running away!" Chang Yuchun demanded.
"General!" the soldiers behind him shouted, ignoring Chang Yuchun's orders and rushing forward!
Chang Yuchun instinctively drew his sword, but a quick glance revealed two or three arrows flying towards him. The pursuing Xiongnu force had arrived and begun firing. Chang Yuchun swiftly deflected one of the arrows, sending it tumbling to the ground. The other arrows struck a Xiongnu guard, who immediately fell from his horse and died.
Chapter Sixty-Two with Love
Meanwhile, the Xiongnu were firing arrows indiscriminately. In the midst of this chaos, the Luo soldiers also began to fire arrows, some even charging forward to hack and slash. Indeed, having a valiant general could boost their fierce morale. The Luo soldiers, having followed Chang Yuchun in one battle, became much braver, charging forward despite the arrows. Many Xiongnu were killed before they could even draw their arrows, and the Luo soldiers clashed with them.
Those Huns were no pushovers either; they drew their swords and began to fight their own people!
Chang Yuchun observed a richly dressed young general surrounded by what appeared to be guards. "Who are you? Who are you?!" Chang Yuchun shouted at him, asking again.
The young general seemed not to understand much, but he could probably guess Chang Yuchun's meaning, or understand a word or two. He then stammered in Mandarin, "...Uh, Prince! Prince!"
Upon hearing this, a thought flashed through Chang Yuchun's mind: "A prince of some Xiongnu king?" It seemed there might be some unforeseen event, perhaps a coup. Without hesitation, Chang Yuchun shouted, "Hey! Come with us into the city!" He gestured towards the city. The Xiongnu man clearly understood and nodded repeatedly. Chang Yuchun loudly commanded, "Everyone, retreat into the city immediately!"
The fallen soldiers quickly broke off contact with the Xiongnu and retreated into the city. When the Xiongnu soldiers tried to charge, arrows rained down from the city walls. The arrows were few, but each one struck a Xiongnu soldier in the front ranks, throwing the Xiongnu army into chaos. Chang Yuchun seized the opportunity to lead several fleeing Xiongnu into the city.
The Xiongnu soldiers roared and attacked the city for a while, but they were clearly unarmed and couldn't accomplish anything at the foot of the walls. Moreover, arrows rained down from the walls, causing many Xiongnu casualties. After discussing the matter, they realized that attacking the city was no longer their mission, and they knew they couldn't capture the escapees, so they all fled.
"Wang Shuo! Come and translate!" Chang Yuchun shouted as soon as he saw the Xiongnu troops retreat. His intuition told him that these Xiongnu fugitives could reveal the reason for the Xiongnu army's unusual behavior.
Chang Yuchun gestured for them to enter, pointing to his battle command post below the city walls. Since taking office, he had never visited the prefectural government office, residing solely in this command post. He usually delegated administrative matters to Wang Shuo. The Xiongnu men didn't refuse and entered one by one. The soldiers outside clearly wanted them to hand over their swords, but the Xiongnu men were obviously reluctant. Chang Yuchun chuckled, gesturing for the soldiers not to worry, and let the Xiongnu men in. Wang Shuo followed. They were all seated.
"What are your identities...?" Chang Yuchun asked. He wanted to know the details of these people's identities.
The Xiongnu man spoke in a string of gibberish, and Wang Shuo's face changed drastically. He hurriedly translated, "The prince of Qiangqu, the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu, was killed by Zhongping in yesterday's coup at the royal court!"
Although Chang Yuchun was somewhat prepared, he couldn't help but be taken aback.
So, he's the prince of Qiangqu, the heir to the Xiongnu throne? And this is a momentous event for the Xiongnu!
"Messenger!" Chang Yuchun shouted. Soldiers immediately entered. Chang Yuchun hastily wrote a short letter: "Yesterday, a coup occurred at the Xiongnu royal court. Qiangqu was killed by Zhongping! His prince has fled to Shuofang to avoid disaster; I have already met with him! Please give your instructions, Prime Minister! Date attached." "Select the fastest horse and immediately report to Chang'an—no, Tongguan! Deliver it personally to Prime Minister Luo! It must arrive as quickly as possible!"
"Yes!" The messenger panicked at the urgency. He stammered, "I've never seen Prime Minister Luo!" It turned out that Luo Chen had never been to the northern grasslands. This messenger could only run to Chang'an to report on the Xiongnu's harassment of the border; he had no chance to see Luo Chen directly. Chang Yuchun was extremely impatient: "Can't you ask yourself! You idiot! If anything goes wrong, I'll execute you!"
Two days later, this extremely important letter was delivered to Luo Chen by the messenger. The messenger had been so reluctant to give the letter to anyone else that he actually handed it to Luo Chen himself. Luo Chen read the letter without saying a word. After a while, he wrote a note with only one sentence: "Chang Yuchun, take the prince and return to Tongguan immediately." He then handed it to another messenger, who rode a fine horse and sped off to Shuofang.
The messenger silently withdrew from the main hall, intending to observe Tongguan for a while before returning. He was filled with envy at the uniform, brand-new armor of the Tongguan soldiers, and was even more amazed by the cavalry and fine horses that were everywhere. However, he had only taken a few steps when he was stopped: "Prime Minister Luo wishes to see you!" The messenger hurriedly returned, and Luo Chen chuckled: "Give him fifty taels of gold."
This news was probably known only to Luo Chen among the people of the Central Plains. Zhong Ping kept the news strictly confidential because dissidents in other places had not yet been completely eliminated.
Back to Chang Yuchun. Without a second thought, Chang Yuchun immediately ordered the message to be relayed to Luo Chen. Then, he seemed somewhat at a loss for words. It was indeed strange; how could Qiangqu have been killed so easily? How had his prince escaped? More importantly, why had Qiangqu's prince chosen to flee to Shuofang, begging for help?
Chang Yuchun sorted through his thoughts and asked blankly, "...What's your name...we don't even know it yet."
“Yu Luofu,” the prince said in the Xiongnu language. Wang Shuo didn’t translate; whatever he heard was fine with him.
Why did you decide to come to Shuofang for help?
"It was ordered by my father."
Chang Yuchun was surprised again. This Qiangqu had instructed his prince to come to Shuofang to save his life at the last moment.
“My father was inspecting the left flank of the Xiongnu, but unexpectedly, many generals and princes colluded with Zhongping. Zhongping launched a night attack on my father’s camp, and at the last moment, my father ordered me to head south to Shuofang, the nearest territory controlled by Luochen,” the prince said. (Qianqianhao) “Zhongping has a large army in the left flank, and near Shuofang, there is a hundred thousand cavalry led by Zhongping’s younger brother, Zhongting. It was they who pursued us.”
Chang Yuchun fell into deep thought. This Qiangqu was quite interesting. When he died, he didn't allow his prince to flee to the right or to other places, and he wasn't even sent back to the royal court to gather troops. Instead, he was summoned directly to Shuofang…
"Messenger!" Chang Yuchun called out again, and a messenger ran in: "Two! Go to Chang'an and Tongguan respectively, and tell them that Shuofang City is in great danger and could be massacred at any time. We request assistance!"
Upon hearing the order, Wang Shuo snapped out of his daze. The Xiongnu soldiers had witnessed Luo Fu enter Shuofang City, and Zhong Ting's 100,000 cavalry were very close; there was no reason for them not to launch a full-scale attack… The more Wang Shuo thought about it, the more panicked he became. Oh no! The Xiongnu might arrive that afternoon, and it would be a fierce battle he had never experienced before!
Chapter Sixty-Three: A Galaxy of Stars
Returning to Luo Chen's story, Cao Cao finally understood the reason for the Xiongnu's recent unusual behavior. Cao Cao's mind raced: Qiang Qu was dead, Zhong Ping had staged a coup, and there were reports of attacks on the border. Could a northward offensive yield any benefits...?
"I'd like to speak with Lord Cao," Luo Chen said with a smile. "Fighting would be detrimental to both sides, and besides, I'd like to fight the Xiongnu..."
Cao Cao looked at Luo Chen with some surprise, but still tried his best to appear indifferent. Was this Luo Chen really so frank… Negotiation, negotiation… Cao Cao thought carefully; this seemed like a solution! Both sides felt the other's strength and threat. Cao Cao insisted on attacking Luo Chen because Luo Chen was causing trouble in his rear. He originally wanted to attack Hebei, but with Luo Chen behind him, he was quite uneasy! If the two sides negotiated, Luo Chen's main force would enter the grasslands and fight the Xiongnu, allowing Cao Cao to safely conquer Hebei, and Luo Chen could fulfill his wish to fight the Xiongnu (Cao Cao wondered if Luo Chen had some strange wish behind his desire to fight the Xiongnu). It was a mutually beneficial solution…
The proposal was very tempting to Cao Cao, but he still wanted to discuss it with his advisors, especially Guo Jia. "Where do you plan to discuss this?" Cao Cao asked coldly.
"Right here, right in front of our two armies!" Luo Chen laughed heartily. With a wave of his hand, several soldiers from Luo's army dragged out a huge blue cloud canopy, beneath which was placed a small table, with seats arranged on either side. "Let's each retreat one li, and we'll talk right here!"
Seeing Luo Chen's eagerness, Cao Cao hesitated. But since Luo Chen was so decisive, he couldn't very well suggest going back to discuss it further... So he replied, "It's fine... but I need to bring my civil and military officials to discuss this together. There are many small matters that I need their assistants to handle." Although there wasn't time to discuss it further, Cao Cao planned to arrange for his civil and military officials to attend the meeting so they could remind him of things later.
“Sure!” Luo Chen agreed without hesitation. “I’ll bring my senior officials with me too.”
Senior officials from both sides vaguely heard words like "negotiation," but they weren't quite sure what was going on, as only Cao Cao and Luo Chen were talking almost face-to-face on horseback. Then, both leaders slowly retreated. Cao Cao said, "Order the army to retreat one li! Back to camp!" The officials were shocked: "Is the fighting over? Why are we retreating?" Cao Cao said, "We need to negotiate with Luo Chen now. Luo Chen wants to fight the Xiongnu… I don't have time to discuss this with you all. I'll take you with me to negotiate later…" As he spoke, Luo Chen's cavalry also retreated, some even heading straight back to the city.
Under the cover of azure clouds, the super leaders of the Central Plains took their seats. On Luo Chen's side were Ge Liang, Xu Da, Ma Chao, Xu Shu, Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, Zhang Heng, Sun Yuanhua, Ma Dai, Yan Qing, and others. On Cao Cao's side were Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, Mao Jie, Xu You, Xiahou Dun, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Yue Jin, Cao Hong, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and others. These mere twenty-odd individuals were the highest military and political leaders of the Central Plains. For a moment, the humble abode shone with brilliance, a constellation of stars.
"I never imagined that I, Luo Chen, would have the opportunity to meet the legendary strategists and generals of Cao Cao's group..." Luo Chen laughed. "Meeting you today has truly broadened my horizons! You are indeed heroes among men!" Cao Cao returned the greeting and praised him, "Luo Gong is so young, I, Cao Cao, and my subordinates have great respect for you."
After the two leaders finished their pleasantries, Cao Cao remained silent, gesturing for Guo Jia to speak first. Guo Jia rose and bowed, and Luo Chen's men returned the bow. Guo Jia then slowly sat down and said, "Forgive my rudeness. Prime Minister Luo wants to talk to us, but in reality, he's asking our army to withdraw unconditionally... I wonder what gives Prime Minister Luo the confidence to ask Lord Cao to withdraw his troops?"
Luo Chen chuckled, but since Cao Cao didn't speak, he remained silent as well, instead gesturing for Zhuge Liang to answer. Zhuge Liang rose, bowed, and followed the same procedure as Guo Jia, saying, "Cao Cao's army did not retreat unconditionally. Your condition, Lord Luo, is that my main force enters the desert to strike the Xiongnu and defend the peace of the Central Plains."
"Hahaha, you call this a condition!" Xu You laughed. "You're clearly taking advantage of the Xiongnu's internal strife to extract benefits!"
"Doesn't Cao Cao get any benefits?" Zhang Song retorted. "He must have been itching to bully Yuan Shao's foolish sons for a long time! He's been eyeing the three provinces of Hebei for ages!" Zhang Song was currently free and was looking for someone to vent his anger on.
"Uh..." Xu You was speechless for a moment, and could only give a cold laugh and stop answering.
Luo Chen then spoke frankly: "Gentlemen, there's no point in saying more. I'll just lay out all our considerations. We advocate that Cao Cao's army retreat, and whether or not to attack Hebei is up to Cao Cao. Our main force will enter the Gobi Desert via Shuofang to strike the main force of the Xiongnu. This way, Cao Cao will have no worries about his rear, which will benefit both sides."
Cao Cao actually agreed to some extent. However, he also knew that Luo Chen was a formidable opponent. As Guo Jia had said, if they didn't fight now, they might never have another chance. Luo Chen's power was growing extremely rapidly.
Now that Luo Chen had laid his cards on the table, Cao Cao didn't mince words: "Lord Luo, even if your main force has entered the desert, it's not just my concern today, it will be even more so in the future." These words were loaded with meaning, not stated bluntly. To put it simply would be too blatant. Thinking about it further reveals that "future concerns" indicates Cao Cao cannot tolerate Luo Chen's survival. In other words, Cao Cao intends to eliminate Luo Chen at the most opportune moment, or at least cripple him, rendering him unable to contend with Cao Cao. To put it more bluntly: "I'm going to beat you to a pulp, no matter the cost!"
Luo Chen was so clever, how could he not understand!
Xiahou Dun, who was standing beside Cao Cao, also sensed the murderous intent in these words and laughed in agreement, saying, "Our army will capture Tongguan in less than a month, march straight to Chang'an, and dominate Guanzhong!"
Upon hearing this, Ma Chao was furious: "Nonsense! I'll teach you a lesson that will leave rivers of blood and prevent you from ever setting foot on Tong Pass! Do you want another Battle of Tong Pass?!"
Just as Xiahou Dun was about to retort, Cao Cao spoke first: "Don't be rude! Listen carefully to what Luo Gong has to say!" Clearly, he wanted to hear Luo Chen's direct response.
Luo Chen chuckled. "You said you'd pay any price? I'll show you the price..." He didn't answer directly, but looked at Zhang Heng sitting in the corner: "Mr. Zhang, please introduce your gunpowder."
Everyone looked towards the corner and saw a pedantic-looking old man, seemingly deep in thought. Zhang Heng, finding this tense atmosphere rather boring, went off to think about cannon manufacturing himself!
Zhang Heng seemed to wake from a dream: "Gunpowder? What's there to talk about... Didn't we say we could blow Tongguan to the sky?" Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he added: "Ma Chao, don't waste it. Just use the amount from the past few days, burn it slowly, and I'll replenish it for you in three months."
Chapter Sixty-Four Negotiations
It is said that Cao Cao and Luo Chen, along with their key ministers, held face-to-face negotiations. Faced with Cao Cao's provocation, Luo Chen did not respond directly, but instead asked Zhang Heng to introduce gunpowder.
Zhang Heng spoke casually, but his sword strikes were deadly. He truly seemed like a bookworm, but was incredibly domineering. He uttered the phrase "could blow Tongguan to the sky" with remarkable ease.
Cao Cao felt uncertain and glanced at Guo Jia. After all, gunpowder was a new technology, and only Luo Chen had experts; Cao Cao's side knew nothing about it. Even with unparalleled talent and strategic brilliance, one is inevitably bewildered by the unknown, unsure whether Zhang Heng's words were true or false. If true, the losses to Cao Cao's army would be immeasurable. This "at all costs" approach to defeating Luo Chen needed careful consideration; otherwise, the losses could be enormous. Even if Zhang Heng's words were false, and their gunpowder's power was only half, it would still be terrifying, and Cao Cao's army would still suffer huge losses.
For the first time, Guo Jia showed deep hesitation. Had his previous assessment underestimated Luo Chen's strength? Especially since he hadn't fully considered the capabilities of gunpowder? If Zhang Heng's words were true, it would undoubtedly be a bolt from the blue for Cao Cao's group. This meant that Luo Chen's fighting power and strength might have already caught up with or surpassed Cao Cao's. Then it wouldn't just be that they couldn't fight now, but perhaps they couldn't fight in the future either, because the enemy's gunpowder was too powerful! Not only could they not fight, but the enemy might also attack them. If the enemy's strength, especially their military combat power, had already surpassed their own, then the wise strategic choice was not to fight at all costs, but to avoid war as much as possible.
"So powerful? I don't believe it," Guo Jia said coldly. Although he felt a little uneasy, Guo Jia still wanted to probe further to see how much truth was in Zhang Heng's words.
"You don't believe me?" Zhang Song couldn't help but come over and mock him again. "You can ask General Zhang He. He must have firsthand experience with this." After saying that, he burst into laughter.
As expected, Cao Cao and his ministers' expressions changed drastically, from white to red to black. It was quite frightening that a general as invincible as Zhang He was instantly blown to pieces; Cao Cao and his ministers should have a deep impression of this, especially since Zhang He was still lying in his tent, half-dead.
"Do not be rude," Luo Chen said to Zhang Song. "We deeply regret General Zhang He's accident, and I have already instructed Sun Yuanhua to do everything in his power to help him."
As they were talking, Xiahou Dun's expression suddenly changed. Pointing ahead, he said, "Lord Luo, there are two men on horseback galloping this way from Tongguan. What does this mean?" Luo Chen and the others turned around and, sure enough, two riders were rushing towards them at high speed, kicking up two trails of dust. Cao Cao's generals immediately gripped their sword hilts. Luo Chen quickly said, "Gentlemen, do not panic. This should be my general coming from the northern Shuofang front."
"Oh?" Cao Cao showed interest, and not only Cao Cao and his ministers, but also the high-ranking officials on Luo Chen's side were very curious. Luo Chen's strategic preparations against the Xiongnu were all carried out in secret. Only Zhuge Liang and others knew a little about the internal arrangements, while the other high-ranking officials only heard Luo Chen say that he was preparing to use force against the Xiongnu.
The two men stopped about a hundred meters away, dismounted, and ran over. "Let me introduce you all," Luo Chen said. "This general is Chang Yuchun. I sent him to Shuofang as governor for a few days. How is the situation on the northern front? Please give me an update." Chang Yuchun, clearly exhausted from his recent trip to the northern front, looked extremely tired. Chang Yuchun said anxiously, "My lord, Shuofang is in grave danger! Why did you call me back! I can't disobey orders, but wouldn't that be desertion?"
The high-ranking officials of the two armies in the Central Plains were somewhat bewildered. Why was Shuofang in such a critical situation? What had happened?
However, Cao Cao frowned and looked at the young general with the appearance of a Xiongnu and dressed in rich attire behind Chang Yuchun, and said, "This person seems to be a Xiongnu? You said that an important figure from the Xiongnu has entered your controlled territory."
“Indeed, Lord Cao is indeed astute,” Luo Chen said. “This man is the heir to the throne of the former Xiongnu Chanyu Qiangqu, named Yu Luofu.”
The entire audience was greatly surprised.
Even Cao Cao was somewhat surprised: "This is interesting. The Xiongnu are fighting amongst themselves, and Qiangqu is dead. Why has his prince come to your territory? Could it be that he's asking for help?"
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“It seems he was seeking refuge. He said that before he died, Qiangqu told him to run to Shuofang, the nearest area controlled by Luogong,” Chang Yuchun explained.
Seeing that Chang Yuchun was covered in dust and looked extremely haggard, as was the Xiongnu man, it seemed they had been traveling day and night without stopping. Luo Chen quickly invited them, "Don't stand there, come sit down and have a drink."
Chang Yuchun bowed and said, "Thank you, my lord. However, this prince is to be taken over by our Shuofang. There are 100,000 cavalrymen under Zhong Ping's brother Zhong Ting nearby. They will surely launch a fierce attack on Shuofang to seize the prince! Our Shuofang forces are weak and poorly trained. Shuofang is in imminent danger. I rushed here day and night to present this to you in person and ask you to send troops as soon as possible. It will be too late if we delay even a little!"
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“We have seen your urgent letter,” Zhuge Liang said. “The Prime Minister’s Office has already mobilized troops to the north. There are 100,000 troops from Yizhou, Hanzhong and other places, and 50,000 cavalry drawn from Chang’an, Liangzhou and other places. The cavalry have already arrived.”
"Excellent!" Chang Yuchun exclaimed with delight. "Fifty thousand iron cavalry are enough to protect the safety of Shuofang. May I ask who is the commander-in-chief? General Xu Da?" As he spoke, Chang Yuchun looked at the seats and noticed that General Xu Da was among them. Had he set off later, or was there another commander-in-chief?
Luo Chen laughed heartily: "There's no need to ask anyone else for the commanding general; you'll do it. I appoint you as a Lieutenant General, commanding 50,000 iron cavalry from Chang'an, 50,000 cavalry from Hanzhong and Yizhou, and 50,000 infantry, totaling 150,000 men." Zhuge Liang smiled; he hadn't been wrong after all. None of the people present had ever seen this man before, and the next second he was a Lieutenant General, commanding 150,000 troops on his own. Becoming a Supreme General was also a possibility.
"Should I rush back to Shuofang now to command the battle?" Chang Yuchun volunteered.
"No need," Luo Chen said, seemingly unconcerned. "We're already talking with Cao Zheng. You're here, how can we miss this opportunity? A day of rest is fine." "Don't worry, Shuofang won't be attacked anytime soon. I've already sent another letter to Zhong Ping, informing him that he and Luo Fu have been taken out of Tongguan, and hoping to negotiate a solution with him."
Chapter Sixty-Five: Negotiation (Part Two)
Luo Chen's actions towards the Xiongnu were repeatedly unexpected. For example, he previously sent a letter that provoked the Xiongnu. This time, he sent another letter, surprisingly proposing negotiations with the Xiongnu. Another example is that he appointed a general whom no one knew as the commander of his army.
"Negotiations?" Xu You was the first to react. "Lord Luo, didn't you say that the main force of the Luo army was heading north to fight the Xiongnu? Why are we negotiating with the Xiongnu now?"
"Our army has already deployed 150,000 troops northward. Do you really think we'll negotiate?" Fa Zheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. "The Xiongnu army can move to our key border towns at any time, while our main force has not yet reached the front lines. Therefore, we need to negotiate to buy time."
“Exactly!” Luo Chen said, “Mr. Fa Xiaozhi’s analysis is quite good.”
“150,000 men is still not enough. The Xiongnu have far more than 150,000 troops, and they are all soldiers, with strong fighting power and a tenacious fighting spirit.” Xiahou Dun was actually starting to worry about the Luo army. “Moreover, you only have 100,000 cavalry, which is far from enough. Almost all battles on the grasslands require cavalry. Infantry have poor mobility and are easily defeated by cavalry charges.”
“If Lord Cao withdraws his troops and removes the threat to Tongguan, our Guanzhong, Tongguan, Chang’an and other military regions can mobilize hundreds of thousands of top-notch cavalry and infantry,” Luo Chen said. “This is why I strongly hope to negotiate with Lord Cao and ask him to withdraw his troops.”
Cao Cao hesitated for a moment; it seemed that Luo Chen's attack on the Xiongnu was serious...
"That Xiongnu prince? Why not ask him to explain the situation in Xiongnu?" Guo Jia suddenly asked, clearly uneasy, as this person might be an imposter. Fa Zheng, sitting in a corner near Luo Fu, acted as the interpreter. Many of the high-ranking officials present clearly understood Xiongnu. Luo Chen, seeing their familiarity with the language, couldn't help but sigh. Ancient scholars and officials were never short of learned men, striving to be knowledgeable in astronomy, geography, and all sorts of ingenious strategies. They were truly broad-minded; although they believed their Central Plains culture was far superior to that of barbarians, they still wanted to thoroughly study such matters.
The Xiongnu prince stood in a corner and saw a group of distinguished-looking people sitting on the ground below, mostly old men. Seeing Chang Yuchun's respectful demeanor, he understood a little; these people seemed to wield considerable power.
“By the way, the young man in the middle over here is Luo Gong. The one in the middle over there is Cao Cao. Both of them are high-ranking civil and military officials from the Central Plains,” Fa Zheng introduced to Luo Fu.
This greatly surprised Luo Fu. It seemed Chang Yuchun was quite careless, failing to inform him that the people seated here were all high-ranking officials from the Central Plains. Luo Fu quickly bowed to Luo Chen and Cao Cao.
“Zhongping is very powerful. My father has repeatedly told me that he wants to find an opportunity to strip Zhongping of some of his power. Unexpectedly, the treacherous Zhongping made the first move and launched a night attack on my father’s camp while he was on his western tour. My father told me to run south to Shuofang City.”
"So easily?" Guo Jia asked. "Are Qiangqu's personal guards really that useless?"
“His personal guards are determined to resist to the death, otherwise he won’t be able to get out,” Chang Yuchun explained to Luo Fu. “I’ve been scouting in Shuofang every day, and there are a large number of Xiongnu troops deployed near Shuofang City alone, the closest being Zhongting’s 100,000 iron cavalry. It can be said that Zhongping has arranged hundreds of thousands of troops in various places on the right wing of the Xiongnu, densely covering key locations. If Qiangqu comes in, no matter how powerful his personal guards are, they will surely die.”
"Didn't Qiangqu send you back to the Chanyu court to regroup your troops? Didn't he send you back to the Left Wing to request support from the various tribes?" Cao Cao asked. "He specifically sent you to Shuofang, quite interesting..." He chuckled after saying this. "Mao Jie, go and check if Zhongping has managed to win over the Left Wing."
“No need,” Zhuge Liang said. “The latest report from the Prime Minister’s office is that the left wing has basically lost the Qiangqu Banners. They have all defected, whether voluntarily or not.”
"That Qiangqu was quite prescient!" Cao Cao laughed heartily. "Indeed, it was a wise move. If you had gone to the Left Division or returned to the royal court, you would have been arrested and sent to collect the reward long ago."
"I'm curious, what benefits do you expect to gain from fighting the Xiongnu?" Cao Cao asked. "Why are you so determined?"
Luo Chen chuckled, "Why should you concern yourself with Cao Cao's affairs? But since you asked, I have a teacher named Cai Yong. His daughter was abducted by the Xiongnu. I wrote to demand her return, but the Xiongnu provoked me instead."
"Cai Yong?" Both civil and military officials fell silent for a moment. This Cai Yong was a great scholar, known to everyone in the Central Plains, but his disciple was Luo Chen, which had never been publicly revealed. Several of Luo Chen's high-ranking officials had only heard Luo Chen mention him once by chance.
Cao Cao was fairly certain that Luo Chen was about to launch a military campaign against the Xiongnu. However, the so-called negotiations made him slightly uneasy. "Lord Luo, don't try to deceive me about the negotiations. Don't appease the Xiongnu and then turn around and attack me."
Luo Chen laughed heartily. He turned to the civil official beside him and said, "Regarding the matter of negotiations, who is willing to go and persuade the Xiongnu to hold back for the time being?" After speaking, he glanced at Fa Zheng.