Chapter 371

He opened his mouth, wanting to repeat the speech he had practiced for a long time, but just thinking about it made him feel awkward.

At this moment, Lu Bu happened to be riding the Jade Dragon back from afar.

Lu Bu, with a face full of excitement, didn't even have time to notice Duan Yu's arrival.

An excited smile hung on Lu Bu's face.

Lu Bu arrived before Chanyu Qiangqu and directly cupped his hands, saying: "Many thanks to the Chanyu for the gift of the horse!"

"In the future, if the Chanyu has any needs, just let Bu know."

"As long as Bu can be of help, there is nothing I will not agree to," Lu Bu said gratefully.

Chanyu Qiangqu's face turned black in an instant.

His expression seemed to say: You are a mere Thief-Catching Official of Jiuyuan County, and I am a dignified Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu; what could I possibly need from you?

This was a dragon-steed worth ten thousand gold.

Even searching the entire Southern Xiongnu, there wouldn't be more than ten.

How could he possibly just give it to you?

Looking at Qiangqu's dark, old face, Lu Bu was also full of confusion.

Clearly, he had been so enthusiastic just a moment ago; how could he turn around and seem like a different person?

Before Lu Bu could even ask,

Chanyu Qiangqu spoke, and with a dark, old face at that: "This General, there may have been a misunderstanding just now."

Chanyu Qiangqu said to Lu Bu in stiff Chinese: "This horse was prepared for the Great Han's Colonel-General Who Pacifies the Xiongnu."

"So, please do not thank me."

"This horse cannot be gifted to you."

Qiangqu's reply was very direct, not giving Lu Bu any face at all.

"Ah?" Lu Bu stood frozen on the spot as if struck by lightning.

Song Xian, Wei Xu, and Hou Cheng behind him couldn't have looked more awkward at this moment.

They looked as if they wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

They covered their faces and turned their heads away.

Conversely, Chen Qing'an and Zhang Liao were smiling as they explained everything that had just happened to Duan Yu.

Hearing about this blunder, Duan Yu also laughed.

This Chanyu Qiangqu was quite a character, managing to give a gift to the wrong person.

Now it was done; with Lu Bu's petty nature, he would definitely hold a grudge against Chanyu Qiangqu.

Sure enough, Lu Bu, having reacted, wore a look of shame and anger.

"You..." Lu Bu gritted his teeth and pointed at Chanyu Qiangqu: "Since that is the case, why did you say that just now?"

"Could it be that you intended to humiliate me? Do you truly think the war halberd in my hand is blunt?"

Lu Bu held up his Painted Halberd with one hand, pointing it directly at Chanyu Qiangqu.

Instantly, the chiliarchs behind Chanyu Qiangqu all drew the swords at their waists, shouting angrily at Lu Bu in the Xiongnu language.

Lu Bu looked completely unafraid, gripping the reins of the warhorse Jade Dragon tightly with one hand, as if the horse would be snatched away by someone else the moment he let go.

Qiangqu was also angry.

He looked at Lu Bu with ill intent.

Regardless of anything else, he was a dignified Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu; to be pointed at with a weapon by a mere county official—where was his dignity?

It was only out of respect for Duan Yu that Chanyu Qiangqu did not order an attack to kill Lu Bu.

"Thief-Catching Official Lu," Chanyu Qiangqu said with a cold face: "I only assumed you were the Great Han's envoy, the Colonel-General Who Pacifies the Xiongnu; I called you General just now, and you did not deny it."

"This is my first time meeting the Colonel-General Who Pacifies the Xiongnu, and I do not recognize him; since you knew you were not him, why did you not deny it?"

"Are you going to blame this Chanyu?"

"This was merely a misunderstanding; now I am simply asking you to return the horse to me."

Chanyu Qiangqu glanced at Lu Bu and said: "I am a dignified Xiongnu Chanyu; why would I gift a precious dragon-steed to a stranger for no reason?"

"This dragon-steed was prepared for the Marquis of Guo."

Chanyu Qiangqu looked at Duan Yu, placed his right hand over his chest, and bowed: "Marquis of Guo, there has been some misunderstanding here; I hope that you, being magnanimous, will not take offense."

Duan Yu smiled calmly and shook his head: "It is nothing, just a small matter; the Chanyu need not take it to heart."

Duan Yu was indifferent.

But Lu Bu felt as if he had suffered a huge humiliation.

Lu Bu had been very happy to receive the horse in front of so many people just now.

But now Qiangqu was saying it was all a misunderstanding.

This horse was not meant for him.

Now, asking Lu Bu to dismount and return the warhorse—one part was reluctance, the other was humiliation.

In front of thousands of people, if Lu Bu were to dismount and return the horse, then if he returned to Jiuyuan County later, this matter would surely be gossiped about behind his back.

Lu Bu, gritting his teeth, was caught in a dilemma on the horse's back.

A pair of tiger eyes stared fixedly at Chanyu Qiangqu.

"Good!"

Lu Bu gritted his teeth and looked at Chanyu Qiangqu: "I will not speak of your humiliation of me."

"But this horse..."

"If you want to take it back, that's fine!"

"As long as you send someone to snatch it, I don't care how many people you send; if you can snatch this horse back from my hands, then not only will I give you the warhorse, but I will also apologize to you!"

"Do you dare or not!"

Lu Bu brandished the Painted Halberd in his hand and shouted at Chanyu Qiangqu: "Go ahead and send someone out; if you have the ability, let's have a duel of generals before the lines!"

As soon as Lu Bu's words fell, not only did Chanyu Qiangqu knit his brows.

Even the generals beside Duan Yu also frowned.

"General, what is this Lu Bu trying to do?" Tie Shitou said indignantly.

Chen Qing'an had already explained the sequence of events.

Chanyu Qiangqu had mistaken you, Lu Bu, for the Great Han's envoy, which is why he gave the gift.

Now that it has been proven to be a misunderstanding, the man wants back what belongs to him, and you, Lu Bu, refuse to give it up?

And this dragon-steed, worth ten thousand gold, was meant for Duan Yu.

By what right are you, Lu Bu, hogging it?

And saying such things?

Isn't this just sophistry without any reason?

"General, this Lu Bu is going too far," Wang Hunu also said.

Gao Shun, riding behind Duan Yu, frowned and said: "This man is narrow-minded; he seeks small gains and loses the greater righteousness."

"A wise man sees gain and thinks of the difficulty; a foolish man sees gain and forgets the danger," Gao Shun said in a deep voice: "Though he has martial courage, his mind is simple."

Zhang Liao, to the side, also nodded: "Boping is right."

Duan Yu chuckled, thinking to himself, good fellow.

You two had quite a bad run of luck in your past lives, following such a master.

"General, should we..." Chen Qing'an looked at Duan Yu, asking.

Duan Yu shook his head slightly.

At this time, Chanyu Qiangqu's gaze also turned to Duan Yu: "Marquis of Guo..."

Chanyu Qiangqu naturally could not act on his own.

This time, Duan Yu was the Great Han's envoy.

Any action taken naturally had to be requested of Duan Yu.

Duan Yu smiled and said: "Since the Yongshou era, the Han and Xiongnu have had no contact for decades."

"Now that the Han and Xiongnu are renewing their friendship, I have come to the Xiongnu under the Imperial Edict, firstly to promote the Han-Xiongnu alliance, and secondly to exchange sentiments."

"Since Thief-Catching Official Lu has the heart for it, and the Xiongnu do not lack warriors, why not have a meeting of martial arts."

"Let us have an exchange."

Duan Yu looked at Lu Bu with a smile.

Setting aside Lu Bu's character and personality, his martial prowess was beyond doubt.