Chương 227: Sealing the Wolf's Den and Drinking Water from the Vast Sea

"Liu Ce, General of the Cavalry, Governor of Youzhou, and Marquis of Champion of the Han Dynasty..."

He paused, then continued:

"By order of the Emperor of the Great Han, we shall march north to conquer the barbarians!"

"We have now defeated the Xianbei, beheading over 70, 000, and pursued them relentlessly all the way to Mount Langjuxu!"

"Here we offer this sacrifice to Heaven and Earth..."

His voice suddenly rose, and he said, enunciating each word clearly:

"Anyone who offends our mighty Han, no matter how far away, shall be punished!!!"

The last ten words resounded like thunder in the valley, echoing and lingering for a long time.

A brief silence.

Then...

"Anyone who offends our mighty Han, no matter how far away, shall be punished!!!"

The generals knelt on one knee and shouted in unison.

"Anyone who offends our mighty Han, no matter how far away, shall be punished!!!"

More than 10, 000 cavalrymen roared in unison, their voices shaking the surrounding fields. The crows in the distance were startled and flew about in a flurry, and even the stones on Langjuxu Mountain seemed to tremble three times.

Liu Ce drew his long sword, pointing it straight at the sky.

Behind him, guards held a stone tablet and a carving knife.

"Offer sacrifices to Heaven!"

At a command, the guards lit the sacrificial fire, and wisps of smoke rose into the sky.

The three sacrificial animals sizzled and dripped oil over the fire, releasing a fragrant aroma.

The soldiers shouted once more, "The might of the Han Dynasty! The might of the Han Dynasty! The might of the Han Dynasty!"

The sound waves grew louder and louder, startling crows in the distance into flight and causing wild beasts to flee.

After offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, Liu Ce turned south and performed three deep bows in the direction of the Han Dynasty—although he had no feelings for the Han Dynasty, he still wanted to maintain the proper rituals.

Then he turned to the memorial tablets of the fallen soldiers in the battle.

Before the memorial tablets were their personal quivers, scabbards, and identification tags—a system implemented by Liu Ce, where each soldier had an iron tag engraved with their name and place of origin, so that their bodies could be identified if they died in battle.

Liu Ce looked at the memorial tablets, his voice turning somber:

"Brothers."

The mountain breeze suddenly subsided, as if it were listening.

"Today, we have climbed Mount Langjuxu."

"Expanding territory by thousands of miles, its might shakes the northern deserts."

"Your names will be engraved on this stone tablet and recorded in the annals of the Han Dynasty."

"Future generations will remember that a group of men shed their blood on the grasslands to protect their homeland."

He paused, then continued, "Your families will be cared for by Youzhou; your children will be educated by Youzhou; your contributions will be remembered by Youzhou! Rest in peace!"

Many veterans had tears in their eyes.

In any war, people die. Although this northern expedition was a great victory, there were also considerable losses.

Now that their lord has promised to provide relief in front of heaven and earth and the entire army, they feel at ease.

"Inscribe a monument!"

Liu Ce stepped forward with his knife and carved the first stroke on the side of the stone tablet—the first vertical stroke of the character "中".

The blade pierced the stone with a "sizzle," sending stone chips flying.

Then they stepped back, and Xu Da stepped forward to carve the second stroke, followed by Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Yuwen Chengdu... The generals took turns stepping forward, and the soldiers also lined up to come up, each carving a stroke or a character. Those who didn't know how to carve helped smooth the stone surface or handed over tools.

This isn't about saving effort; it's about getting everyone involved—the glory of sealing the wolf's lair was earned with everyone's lives, and everyone has a share in it.

This is something to brag about for a lifetime.

Far below the mountain, a few remnants of the Xianbei who had narrowly escaped were hiding in the grass, watching from afar, trembling with fear.

"What are the Han people doing?"

"It looks like they're carving stone..."

"That's a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven! They're performing a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven at Langjuxu Mountain! It's over... it's over... the Xianbei are finished..."

They dared not approach, only watch from afar.

A few stray warhorses neighed mournfully in the distance, adding to the desolation.

The wind carried the stench of blood and the aroma of offerings, mixed with the scent of earth and grass, becoming the most magnificent footnote to the sealing of the Wolf-Dwelling Mountain.

After the inscription was completed, several lines of calligraphy appeared on the stone tablet in a flowing, elegant style: In the third year of Zhongping, General Liu Ce led more than 20, 000 elite cavalry to attack the rebellious Xianbei.

Ce led several thousand cavalrymen northward to burn the strongholds of the Xianbei tribes and destroy the Xianbei royal court. He then marched south to join the main force of more than 10, 000 cavalrymen, and defeated the Xianbei, killing more than a dozen of their leaders, annihilating more than 70, 000 enemies, and capturing tens of thousands of horses.

By order of the Emperor of the Great Han, we shall expel the barbarians and bring peace to the border people. I personally lead my soldiers, braving wind and rain, on a raid of three thousand li, pacifying the troubles in the southern desert.

Today we ascend Langjuxu, erect a stone to commemorate our achievements, to comfort Heaven and Earth, and to honor our soldiers.

The majesty of the Han dynasty spreads to distant lands; may the mountains and rivers remain forever secure, and may peace prevail for ten thousand generations.

General Liu Ce led over ten thousand elite cavalry to erect a stone.

After reading it, Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction.

He drew his sword, walked to a nearby boulder, gathered his strength, and cleaved it down with a single blow!

"Snap!"

Stone chips flew everywhere, leaving a deep sword mark on the boulder.

"From this point north, there is no royal court south of the desert!"

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

The soldiers responded in unison, their voices echoing over the mountains and across the grasslands.

The ceremony of sealing the wolf's lair and residing in the Xiongnu territory was completed.

"Alright," Liu Ce sheathed his sword.

"The ceremony is over. Let's go, to the vast sea to water our horses!"

...

After descending from Langjuxu Mountain, Liu Ce led his troops to the edge of the Han Sea.

At this time, Lake Baikal was called "Beihai" or "Hanhai" by the Han people. It was the place where Su Wu herded sheep and where Huo Qubing watered his horses.

The vast lake is not a real sea, but a large lake deep in the grassland, with clear water that reflects the blue sky and white clouds.

On the arid grassland, such a large body of water can indeed be called a "sea".

The lake water was a deep blue and stretched as far as the eye could see.

The wind blew across the lake, creating ripples.

"Is this the Vast Ocean?" Liu Ce asked.

Xu Da checked the map and nodded, saying, "That should be it."

Liu Ce looked at the vast lake in front of him, its waters as blue as jewels, with lush aquatic plants along the shore and snow-capped mountains stretching into the distance.

"What a nice place," he remarked.

"It's a pity it's too far away, otherwise we could build a resort here... cough cough."

I almost let it slip.

He dismounted, walked to the lake, and scooped up a handful of water—icy cold, but crystal clear.

"The entire army dismounts! Let their horses drink from the vast sea!"

More than 10, 000 cavalrymen cheered and surged toward the lake.

The warhorses were thirsty and drank deeply; the soldiers also took the opportunity to wash their faces and fill their water bags.

Standing by the lake, Liu Ce looked at the magnificent scene and felt incredibly satisfied.

He achieved the highest level of military achievement: sealing the wolf's lair and drinking from the vast sea.

Although it was somewhat of a shortcut—Huo Qubing genuinely defeated the Xiongnu and crippled the Xianbei, the Xianbei were still no match for the Xiongnu at their peak.

It doesn't matter, anyway, history books will list him alongside Huo Qubing.

"My lord," Xu Da approached, "what's the next step?"

"Let's celebrate!" Liu Ce waved his hand.

"Bring the wine!"

He took out the fine wine that he had prepared long ago from the system space.

They took them out one jar after another, like a magic trick.

The soldiers were already used to their lord's "supernatural powers" and were not surprised at all. They happily accepted the wine.

Liu Ce picked up a bowl and took a sip.

"Cool!"

"Come on! Drink!"

The soldiers cheered and surrounded him, each getting a bowl and drinking heartily.