Chapter 290: Huyan Kun

Huyan Kun shouted: "Wuwei already belongs to the Xiongnu Khaganate; is the Great Jin prince now trying to invade us?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of jeering came from the city wall.

Tang Qian was furious—this was an insult! But the Great King felt no sting from those words at all, and he shouted loudly: "This time it's purely my personal action, unrelated to the Great Jin~"

This time, the soldiers on the Great King's side started up a commotion!

Without waiting for a rebuttal from the person on the city wall, the Great King gestured for Wei Shen to continue shouting: "Who is the defender inside the city? Have you not heard how we captured Bingzhou? Why don't we be civilized this time and have a pre‑battle duel? If we, Youzhou, lose today we won't attack the city; if we win, you withdraw from Wuwei!"

Tang Qian had already moved to the Great King's side; hearing this, he asked: "Why another duel?"

The Great King said bluntly: "Blasting it open is simple, but then we'd have to repair it ourselves—the destructive power is too great."

Tang Qian was about to burst, just that?

Exactly, Bingzhou's walls were also repaired by them. Blasting it open is flashy, but later repairs are a hassle.

The Great King noticed that Wuwei's main gate was newly replaced; he guessed the previous one had already been smashed to pieces. Breaking it this time would mean he'd have to replace it himself.

Though he said that, the Great King actually didn't think the people inside would agree. It would be better if they did—having Ling Yin and Zhou Ke, either one could give them a show of force.

If they don't agree, it just means the Xiongnu are scared, and that affects their morale.

Judging by himself, if the Great King held the advantage guarding the city, he wouldn't listen to the besieging troops' coaxing, give up the advantage, and come down for close combat.

But Huyan Kun's martial skill among Xiongnu commanders is top‑notch; he is quite conceited.

Upon hearing this, he felt the junior upstart who had taken Bingzhou had gotten swollen‑headed, obviously not taking him seriously!

What do you mean you won't attack the city? Do you think I'm still afraid of you?

The Great King waited only a moment, and a detachment truly marched out to meet the enemy!

"Oh hey, there's an unexpected surprise!"

Inside the city, Huyan Kun and his close aides had already started arguing.

"From the intel we've received, that You King's cavalry is anything but ordinary—why should we go along with their demands?!"

"As a general, am I still afraid of that brat? A duel would be great—we have A Li and He Er Ye; are we afraid of losing to the Jin people? They merely relied on trickery to take Bingzhou; compare martial skills—what do the Jin have to match us?"

After much debate, the outcome was that Huyan Kun won.

Seeing a gap open in the city gate with three riders emerging, the Great King hesitated a moment, then decided to save face—he wouldn't take the chance to storm the gate, but would first have a duel.

The leader was all sinewy muscle, his build rugged. You ask how the Great King knows? Because this man's armor had no sleeves, he came out bare‑armed, looking supremely confident and arrogant.

The Great King glanced at the other's arms, then lowered his gaze to his own legs; before he could utter a sound, Wei Shen beside him burst out laughing.

The Great King's defenses shattered instantly; he seized the wolf‑tooth lance hanging at his horse's side, intending to give the Xiongnu a good show!

Who knew it would never come to his turn.

Earlier he had casually said that when the time came he'd let Ling Yin and Zhou Ke go up, the chief and deputy leaders of the Xiaoqi together to crush the enemy's morale. Now the Xiongnu really came out, and those two immediately stepped forward to prepare for a sparring match. Others couldn't act without orders, but Tang Qian had no such scruples; seeing a man short‑handed with a spear, he also joined up.

While the Great King and Wei Shen were off on a tangent, the slots were gone!

This time Wei Shen also lost his composure; he had originally thought that among the three there would be a spot for him, but now not a single one remained!

The plastic brothers began blaming each other: "It's all your fault!"

Opposite, with A Li leading, the Jin troops also instantly fielded three men; he slammed his spear‑like weapon to the ground and snarled: "Don't let a single one get away!"

Meaning they wanted their lives taken right there on the field!

Ling Yin was straightforward; he rode forward and pointed his sword straight at the middle A Li.

The two clashed; Ling Yin found the opponent indeed had some brute strength, but his technique was nothing to speak of.

The principle that one force can overcome ten doesn't work for the swordsman Ling Yin.

After two exchanges he immediately gauged the opponent's depth, saw no need to probe further, ended the fight outright—one sword cut the man down from his horse. Having just heard the enemy's demand for their lives, he now showed no courtesy, snatched the opponent's life first—clean and swift.

Watching from the field, the Great King felt a share of the honor, as if he himself had chopped the Xiongnu general with three moves, then lowered his wolf‑tooth lance and clapped.

Zhou Ke faced the Xiongnu; although he didn't dispatch them as instantly as Ling Yin, the opponent wasn't on his level—without relying on armor or weapons he could still win easily. The only one on the field exchanging blows back and forth was the unencumbered Tang Qian.

He had been tempered by countless wars; the opponent was no slouch either.

The Xiongnu brute he fought looked about the same age, wielding a long spear. After several bouts it was clear he was far steadier than the other two young Xiongnu, his spear technique practiced and vicious.

Having withdrawn from the line but not yet returned to his unit, Ling Yin furrowed his brows, then glanced back at the Great King with a meaningful look.

The Great King, who had been laughing heartily in the rear, instantly grasped his meaning and could no longer laugh.

It's over.

Ling Yin found himself increasingly unable to retreat, though he didn't directly intervene.

In a pre‑battle duel, life and death are no matter.

But this man is very important to the Great King, and we can't ignore his fate. Tang Qian has a hundred‑thousand border troops behind him, vital to Youzhou; if the commander dies now, who knows what upheaval those ten thousand might cause.

So, the Tang‑surnamed man can lose, but he must stay alive.