Chapter 567: The Situation in Jiuyuan

Logically speaking, Meng Tian had brought an army of two hundred thousand to Jiuyuan Commandery, and there was also an old general like Li Mu, who had once defeated the Xiongnu head-on, assisting him. This war should not have been deadlocked like this no matter what.

But that was the reality.

Whenever Meng Tian and the others were prepared to deal with a Xiongnu attack, the Xiongnu seemed to have received information in advance and would deliberately not fall into the trap. When the Qin army took the initiative to march into the desert, if the Qin army was numerous, they would flee; if the number was small, they would launch pincer attacks and surprise raids on the Qin army.

It was hard to imagine that this group of Xiongnu barbarians had actually started playing with military tactics.

It was fortunate that the main general of the Qin army this time was Meng Tian, and there was an old general like Li Mu assisting him. Although the Qin army had been ambushed by the Xiongnu several times, they had not suffered major losses; on the contrary, Li Mu had turned the tables several times in desperate situations.

But this kind of turning the tables was not what Meng Tian and Li Mu wanted to see.

The war was deadlocked. Admittedly, the Xiongnu had temporarily stopped invading the Qin border, but as long as the Xiongnu were not destroyed, they would continue to invade the Qin border once the Qin army withdrew.

Moreover, the Emperor’s intention was to achieve success in a single battle, completely wipe out the Xiongnu, and occupy their territory and land, making the place where the Xiongnu lived the pasture of the Qin State.

"I suspect that someone has secretly informed the Xiongnu of our troop movements!"

In the government office of Jiuyuan City, which was also the general staff of the Qin army, the white-haired Li Mu looked at the heroic Meng Tian beside him and said in a deep voice.

"Old General, why do you say that?"

Meng Tian looked at Li Mu with a humble attitude, feeling somewhat curious.

Li Mu’s identity was known to few. Beside Meng Tian, only a handful of people knew his identity.

That day, after Li Mu arrived in Jiuyuan City with Ying Zheng’s secret letter, Meng Tian was shocked beyond measure when he saw the letter.

Li Mu, he had of course heard of him—the famous general of the Zhao State in the past, who had defeated an army of two hundred thousand Xiongnu in the Yanmen region. When he held the Zhenyue Sword, all the Xiongnu were terrified.

But that was many years ago.

It was widely rumored in the world that Li Mu had died of illness long ago.

No one expected that he was still alive.

According to the Emperor’s letter, Li Mu had never died from the beginning. His death was merely a strategy to make the Zhao State lose this great general, thus becoming unable to resist the Qin State. And because Li Mu’s ability was not insignificant, he had been secretly detaining Li Mu all these years.

It was only until this Xiongnu invasion, because Li Mu had once defeated the Xiongnu and understood them extremely well, that he persuaded Li Mu to come and help Meng Tian.

After reading the letter and knowing the Emperor’s painstaking efforts, Meng Tian was shocked by Li Mu’s identity while also forcibly accepting the facts, and then actively sought advice from Li Mu.

As a contemporary outstanding member of the Meng family, Meng Tian had his own pride. He could look down on Wang Li and not be convinced by Li Xin, but he had to admit that when it came to fighting the Xiongnu, Li Mu was still more capable.

After all, he was a famous general who could compete with Old General Wang Xuan Jian back then.

If Li Mu had not died, with the ability Li Mu had shown back then, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for the Qin State to destroy Zhao.

No wonder the Emperor would use such methods to make the Zhao State lose Li Mu.

"When we take the initiative to advance, the Xiongnu flee a thousand miles away; when our numbers are small, the Xiongnu take the opportunity to launch surprise raids and surround us; when we are prepared to meet the Xiongnu, the Xiongnu take the initiative to restrain themselves and do not step into the trap!"

"If it weren't for the fact that the Xiongnu still lacked some experience in positional warfare, I fear that in the previous few times, we would have suffered heavy casualties and losses!"

Li Mu said gloomily: "Therefore, either there is a capable person in the Xiongnu army who is proficient in military strategy and has seen through all our movements, or someone is secretly colluding with the Xiongnu and has informed them of all our troop movements..."

"I guarded the Yanmen region back then and fought the Xiongnu for many years. I have some understanding of the Xiongnu, the Donghu, and even the Yuezhi. The Xiongnu cavalry is indeed unparalleled in the world, but that is only because they have grown up on horseback since childhood and have often been invaded by the Donghu and Yuezhi. In order to survive, they grew up in battle since they were young. Besides that, they are ultimately just a group of barbarians who do not understand the way of military strategy."

"Therefore, it can only be the latter: someone has informed the Xiongnu of our troop movements!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian said angrily: "Colluding with barbarians, damn them!"

Hearing Li Mu’s speculation, Meng Tian appeared very angry.

He wished he could immediately find the person who was colluding with the Xiongnu and execute them with the most severe punishment, making them die a miserable death.

Li Mu continued: "Our troop movements have always been known to few. Since that person knows and informs the Xiongnu, this can only mean that the other party’s status is extraordinary, and at the same time, they have a not-so-weak force under their command!"

Meng Tian’s eyes flickered, and he secretly guessed who might be suspicious.

After thinking about it, he identified a few targets, but because there was no evidence, he could only bury this matter in his heart.

Afterward, he spoke to Li Mu about another matter.

"Old General, in the Emperor’s latest letter, he mentioned that the State Preceptor has returned and has manufactured several items that can defeat the enemy. He asks us to use these items to wipe out the Xiongnu in a single battle."

"I wonder how the Old General views this matter?"

Listening to Meng Tian’s words, Li Mu couldn't help but think of that State Preceptor.

He had also had some contact with Su Xuan. It was precisely because of Su Xuan that he had fallen into a state of feigned death, and afterward, he was also brought to Xianyang by Su Xuan.

Although he had some personal grudges with Su Xuan, objectively speaking, the more he knew, the more he recognized Su Xuan’s power.

This power was not only manifested in personal strength but also in every aspect.

"Since your Emperor has said so, these items must have their merits. I am also very curious about what exactly these items are!"

Meng Tian nodded gently.

……

Not only were Meng Tian and Li Mu curious about what these items were.

Zhao Gao, the Governor of Jiuyuan Commandery, was also very curious.

As the Governor of Jiuyuan Commandery, he had also received the letter from Xianyang.

He was extremely curious about the items Ying Zheng mentioned.

If these items developed by Su Xuan could really wipe out the Xiongnu in a single battle, this would not be a good thing for him.

As the war became more deadlocked, the status of Jiuyuan Commandery in this war became more important, and the role played by him, Zhao Gao, as the Governor, became more extraordinary.

It was not that Zhao Gao had forgotten his identity as a descendant of Huaxia and thus colluded with the Xiongnu, but that he wanted to use this opportunity to increase his own weight and let Ying Zheng notice his value.

Only after the war was deadlocked enough would he choose to take action and help the Qin State wipe out the Xiongnu.

By then, even if Ying Zheng trusted Su Xuan more, he would have to summon him back to Xianyang because of the great merit he had rendered. He could take the opportunity to win back everything he had.

However, for now, what Zhao Gao was most curious about was the item in Ying Zheng’s letter.

At the same time, the person escorting these items to Jiuyuan Commandery also made him cautious.

Just because this person was... Ge Nie!