Chapter 75: No One Understands the Rouran Better Than Me

Daylight fully broke, and the flames of war had already subsided.

Within the Rouran Wang Ting, all the captives held their heads, squatting inside several marked circles, while iron horses and curved blades guarded them all around.

A division of labor existed within the nomadic tribes.

The larger the tribe, the finer the division of labor.

The Rouran Wang Ting was the largest tribe upon the grasslands.

Among these captured people, there were even craftsmen from the Western Regions, who specialized in forging gold ornaments for the Rouran nobles.

Hou Jing arrived eagerly, with soldiers behind him dragging a group of beauties whose faces had lost all color.

"My Lord, these Rouran people really play it fancy; look, there are even golden-haired ones!"

At this moment, Yujiu Lufa was escorted over by soldiers.

"The Wang Ting has fallen; is today my day of death?"

Yujiu Lufa's body was obese, yet his face now wore an expression of utter fearlessness.

One had to admit, looking at his manner, the crowd of Rouran people around truly believed he was a loyal minister.

Before the throne of the Rouran Khan, Anagui, Li Shuang stood with hands clasped behind his back, looking at Yujiu Lufa, listening only as he slowly recited the poem Li Shuang had spoken that day.

"Since ancient times, who in life has not died? Let my loyal heart shine in the history books!"

But Hou Jing, who knew the inside story, stepped forward and, with a slap, smacked him on the head.

"What are you pretending? You led the way, you provided the Rouran defense maps, you pointed out the Rouran Khan's golden tent, and you still want to shine in the history books!"

Li Shuang, however, softly rebuked him:

"Hou Jing, how do you treat the Little Khan? Untie him at once!"

After Yujiu Lufa was untied, he still maintained that appearance of dying rather than yielding.

"Li Shuang, you have already captured the Wang Ting, and I have already lost my value; if you do not kill me, what are you waiting for?"

"Little Khan, you are mistaken!"

"What do you mean?"

"The success of this battle relied entirely on the Grand Commander's strategic planning and calm command; our ability to achieve merit relied entirely on the Grand Commander's virtue as vast as the heavens. The Grand Commander has long heard that among the grasslands, within the Rouran, there is such a hero as the Little Khan, and wishes to take the Little Khan as an adopted son; does the Little Khan wish to accept?"

Upon hearing this, Yujiu Lufa no longer wore the expression of facing death without fear; his knees hit the ground at light speed, and he shouted:

"Uncle!"

At this moment, Hou Jing leaned in and whispered in Li Shuang's ear:

"Does the Grand Commander know about the Grand Commander taking an adopted son?"

"The Grand Commander handles myriad daily affairs; why trouble him with such a small matter!"

Li Shuang rolled his eyes at Hou Jing, walked down, and helped Yujiu Lufa to his feet.

"Nephew, come, come, sit!"

Seeing that Li Shuang was about to help him to the Rouran throne, Yujiu Lufa hurriedly declined.

"This is a seat only the Rouran Khan may occupy."

"Eh, what nonsense is the nephew speaking? If Anagui could sit it, why can't you?"

"It is inappropriate, inappropriate!"

Though he said this, Yujiu Lufa nonetheless plopped himself down.

After sitting, Yujiu Lufa felt thoroughly comfortable, and his spirit was entirely different.

"No wonder Anagui's brothers once killed each other for this chair; sitting in it truly feels different!"

After savoring the feeling, Yujiu Lufa looked at Li Shuang and said:

"Uncle, the beast slaves, worker slaves, fire slaves, and other tribes near this Wang Ting are not the most important; Anagui still has an army of Eagle Shooters in the rear."

"An army of Eagle Shooters?"

"Exactly; though their numbers are small, every single one is a master archer capable of shooting eagles, guarding Anagui's three thousand-plus warhorses, among which are many famous horses from the Western Regions."

"What is your plan?"

"After Anagui escapes, he will surely go to this unit; if he leads this unit back to Mobei, the aftermath will be endless! While the situation is still unsettled, Uncle can dispatch a light cavalry, everyone wearing Rouran clothes, holding the wolf banner Anagui dropped, and strike before Anagui arrives, catching the Eagle Shooters off guard to seize these warhorses in one blow."

Li Shuang nodded and looked at Hou Jing beside him.

"You go!"

"Yes!"

After Hou Jing left with his men, Yujiu Lufa continued:

"Uncle, these Rouran people are very cunning; this place is still some distance from Huaishuo, and complications may arise!"

"Is that so likely?"

"Uncle, no one understands these Rouran people better than I; we must not be careless!"

Wu Chuan.

Within the courtyard, blood dripped.

Wei Kegu, bearing several wounds and holding a long sword, still had not fallen.

His eyes were now blood-red, like a wild beast driven to a desperate corner.

"When I captured Wu Chuan, I did not kill you all; instead, we established an alliance, became brothers, and jointly attacked the Great Wei. Why did you all betray me?"

Wei Kegu never expected that those who betrayed him were also brothers he had once trusted greatly.

Heba Duba and Yuwen Gong, leading their family members, tricked Wei Kegu here and attacked him together, yet still could not bring this monster down.

"General, do not blame us; blame only your own stubbornness!"

"What do you mean?"

Wei Kegu did not understand.

Of course, if he understood, he would not have come today!

The sunset descended, and colorful clouds spread brilliantly.

The cloud light illuminated Wu Chuan, which was about to plunge into darkness, yet this very moment was also its most brilliant.

"The Liuzhen are weak, the Northern Frontier is poor; if we make a scene here, what can we possibly achieve?"

Yuwen Gong's single sentence made Wei Kegu furious.

"We rise in righteous rebellion for the sake of justice."

"Will the court grant us this justice?"

"Do you mean that, to survive, we should disregard loyalty and righteousness, and bow to the court? What of those Liuzhen brothers who died? Have you thought of them?"

"General, half of the Great Wei's territory will inevitably fall into chaos soon. If we sell our lives here, what are they worth? Better to preserve our useful bodies and wait for the right opportunity."

Wei Kegu laughed loudly; even though he was severely wounded at this moment, his momentum remained extraordinary.

"What a grandiloquent nonsense!"

Hearing Wei Kegu's words, Heba Duba's second son, He Ba Sheng, shouted angrily:

"Uncle Yuwen, why be polite with him? We join forces, kill him, and leave Wu Chuan!"

Heba Duba and Yuwen Gong held back no longer; they joined forces with their sons and attacked Wei Kegu.

Even though surrounded by seven or eight people, Wei Kegu still did not fall behind.

In the exchange of attack and defense, everyone in the courtyard from the Heba and Yuwen clans was wounded and lay on the ground; it was a case of mutual destruction.

Wei Kegu still stood; blood flowed more and more from his body, yet his vision had already become blurred.

Vaguely, a young man stood not far in front of him.

Wei Kegu remembered that this young man was Yuwen Gong's youngest son, named Heita!

Just now, he had not made a move.

"Boy, why do you not attack? Are you afraid?"

Yuwen Tai walked forward slowly, looking at Wei Kegu, this dying fierce beast.

"Why should I fear a dying man?"

Wei Kegu became interested in this young man.

"If so, tell me: are the deeds your father, brothers, and uncle committed right?"

"No!"

The moment Yuwen Tai's words left his mouth, everyone was astonished.

Wei Kegu laughed loudly, his entire body trembling.

"I never expected that among the famous and powerful Heba and Yuwen, only you, a young man who has never been on a battlefield, count as a hero!"

"But the world is harsh; sometimes, even wrong things must be done!"

Wei Kegu fell silent; suddenly, he threw the long sword in his hand, tossing it before Yuwen Tai.

"This sword is named Long Que; I give it to you!"

Yuwen Tai drew this long sword, its blade dark red and stained with the blood of the Heba and Yuwen clans, bowed to Wei Kegu, and then swung the sword.

On this day, the people of Wu Chuan once again reached a turning point of the era.